The ACN Match Review – Millwall (h)

The atmosphere

Millwall brought respectable numbers in spite of the inconvenient kickoff time. They proceeded to go through the usual repertoire but did not sing the roof down first-half, partially due to lack of excitement on the pitch.

From a Norwich perspective, the first half was relatively subdued. However the two second-half goals made for an electric atmosphere that penetrated all four stands. 

A shame that this boost in energy was met with toxicity from Millwall. More on that later.

The lineup

The starting eleven appears to be beginning to cement itself, and it’s good to see a number of attacking options on the pitch at once. 

One of the positives of leaving Pukki out the side is that it forces us to find and utilise different players in the build-up. This creativity is helped by the great technical ability and clever runs of Gibbs, Núñez and Sinani. Having said this, Norwich were shy in the final third in the first half, and never seemed to quite deliver that killer ball.

Defensively, we looked far more resolute, with Millwall never really getting a nailed-on goalscoring opportunity. Kenny is also filling in well at left-back, but one would hope a longer term solution could be found soon.

Hurrah moment

As clichéd as it sounds, the final whistle. After a wobbly start, we have recorded back-to-back wins, and kept a clean sheet for the first time this season. 

Additionally, the antics of some of the away following made this victory that little bit sweeter. 

Boooo moment

I have met some truly lovely Millwall supporters, and genuinely believe that they represent the majority within their fanbase. What’s more, Millwall is a community-focused club that has made earnest efforts to shake their unwanted stereotypes.

Unfortunately, all of this is easily undermined by a few examples of cowardly, knuckle-dragging pondlife determined to reduce their lives to that of an extra in Green Street or Football Factory, while simultaneously dragging the reputation of their club through the mud. 

Enjoy your banning orders, Lads. Hope it was worth it. 

Hero of the match

This has the potential to be a huge season for Josh Sargent, especially seeing as it’s his first in a league where he’s not playing for an underdog side. Add to that the upcoming World Cup, in which he will no doubt want to feature. 

His two goals continued his run of form. A particular highlight being the buildup to the second, where he battled through several Millwall players before coolly slotting home. 

Our post-match takeaway

Two wins on the bounce. Clean sheet. 100 points, 100 goals? Sargent Golden Boot? We’ll have to wait and see. 

Stay classy, Nodge fans.