Millwall don begin dia Championship campaign wit strong 2-0 win against Bristol City for Ashton Gate, but di scoreline no tell di full story of how di match bin play out.
Di game bin hot from di very beginning, wit Camiel Neghli firing just wide for di opening minutes, and Casper de Norre flicked header from corner landing on top of di bar. Millwall bin show say dem no come to dey waste time.
Referee Lewis Smith bin be di main character for di first half. E bin book Josh Coburn for dive when di striker bin feel say im don win penalty after goalkeeper Sam Tickle bin bring am down inside di box. Dat one no go sweet Coburn at all, but im frustration bin dey short-lived.
Millwall bin get blow when highly rated winger Femi Azeez bin limp off before di half-hour mark. But five minutes later, di visitor dem bin get advantage wen Adam Randell bin collect second yellow for pulling back Coburn as im dey try to break from inside di City half. Na wetin change di game.
Wit extra man, Millwall strike before interval. Kyrell Lisbie, wey bin replace Azeez, bin go reach byeline and pull di ball back for Coburn to finish for near post. Di striker bin don make im point.
After break, Coburn bin get chance to score again three minutes in, but Tickle bin save well. E no tay before e score again — Tickle bin dey indecisive, and Coburn bin outmuscle im marker to nod in Jenson Metcalfe deep cross make am 2-0. Di visiting fans bin dey happy well well.
E suppose be 3-0 moments later as Coburn low ball across di face of goal find new signing Tairyk Arconte, but e bin somehow hit post from two yards wen im no dey marked. Dat one bin be big miss.
Former Millwall star Jed Wallace, wey bin make im Bristol City league debut off di bench, bin curl free-kick over bar. Jason Knight also bin get shot blocked for one of di few attacks City bin fit make. But di home side bin no fit register any shot on target, and dem only get about one-third of possession for di whole match.
Bristol City new manager Michael Skubala, wey bin guide Lincoln City to League One title last season, get plenti work to do. Im new-look strikeforce of Lorent Tolaj and Dom Ballard make dia Championship debuts but no fit make any impact. Dem bin struggle to hold di ball and no create anything.
Millwall bin nearly add third wit two minutes left as Lisbie bin convert Lyndon Dykes goalbound effort, but e bin offside as di Scotland forward strike im shot. Di goal bin no count, but di point bin don already make.
Before di match, Ballard bin yarn about why e join City. “I know where I want to be,” e tell press conference, “I want to be in the Premier League one day. I have to stay on top of it, just keep pushing, and keep driving. This is di next step for me.”
Ballard bin also talk about im partnership wit Tolaj. “He welcomed me with open arms,” e say, “There could have been that little bit of tension, but he’s been really good with me. More importantly, on di pitch, we dey spend a lot of time together within finishing drills. Everything dey positive, and I already feel like we dey build connection.”
E bin add: “We are different, but we have a lot of similar attributes; we both like scoring goals. I think di dynamic between us go be something to dey excited by.”
But for dis opener, dat excitement no translate to goals. Millwall bin comot wit all three points, and Bristol City go need to find dia rhythm quick wit plenty matches still ahead.
