Millwall's early victory over Blues

13 April 2012

Millwall have forced Birmingham into a U-turn over attempts to ban away fans from their First Division-play-off semi-final. Birmingham managing director Karren Brady wanted the two-legged tie, at St Andrews on Sunday and The Den the following Thursday, to be played in front of home fans only because of problems with hooligans at past fixtures between the clubs.

Millwall and Manchester City had a similar arrangement this season when they played each other in the League.

Brady reportedly backed a repeat of the policy before yesterday's games, when Millwall beat Grimsby and Birmingham were confirmed as their play-off opponents. But Football League rules state this can only be done with the agreement of both clubs and Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis is against the idea.

He said: "We probably would have got a great advantage from having none of their fans at The Den for the second leg but there are a lot of Birmingham fans who want to go to the game and a lot of Millwall fans who want to watch their team at St Andrews.

"The Manchester City situation was totally different. We had solid intelligence then that there would be problems and that is why I reluctantly agreed to the banning of away fans. That is not the case with Birmingham.

"They will probably just gives us the minimum amount of tickets and we will reciprocate."

A Millwall statement added today: "We believe the decent fans of both clubs who have played a major part in their successful season deserve the opportunity to attend and support their teams in these key fixtures. Football is the answer, not the problem."

Neil Harris scored twice yesterday to add another chapter to his story of a frightening and emotional year.

Harris, 24, was diagnosed with testicular cancer last May. After a successful operation he made a remarkable recovery but then returned to football too soon and almost caused more serious health problems.

By the time he was fully ready to come back in December he had lost a lot of his fitness and found it difficult to earn a regular place.

Minor injuries followed and, even though Harris has a lot to contribute to Millwall's promotion push, he admits he will not be in peak condition or top form again until next season.

So a rare start yesterday because of a rib injury to Steve Claridge was an important moment for Harris and his family, including month-old son Cameron, took over an executive box to witness it.

He said: "It is a while since I scored and it was a fantastic day all round. It was important for the club that we got into the play-offs and now we have a great chance to reach the promised land of the Premiership."

Harris was Millwall's top scorer last season when they were Second Division champions and he looked more like his old self again when he netted twice after Dion Dublin's sixth- minute opener had been cancelled out by Danny Butterfield.

Both were poacher's goals which owed as much to Harris's sense of positioning and timing as Millwall's crossing skills and Dublin's excellent heading.

Dublin, on loan from Aston Villa, flicked on Steven Reid's long throw-in for Harris to slide in from close range after 24 minutes. Seven minutes later, Reid crossed and

Dublin headed on for Harris to finish with a half-hit scissors kick.

Neither would rank among his best but Harris said: "They were important for the team. No one thought we would get this far, so bring on Birmingham and let them worry about us."

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Millwall's early victory over Blues

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