FA Cup Second Round

Millwall 3 Aldershot Town 0

Basic, repetitive defensive errors put paid to Aldershot’s FA Cup dream at the New Den.

The hosts — riding high in League One — were not at their best and were pushed back by The Shots for much of the second half.

But three times too often The Shots lost their bearings at the back and Millwall took clinical advantage, with three headed goals that saw them head into the third round.

The margin of victory was tough on Gary Waddock’s Aldershot and even harsher on the magnificent travelling support of 1,600, who lived in hope of an FA Cup giantkilling but, in the event, did not even have a goal to celebrate.

Many of those fans were still arriving at the ground at kick-off, after the supporters’ coaches were late reaching the New Den. Tight on time off the pitch, Aldershot were sadly not so tight with their marking on it.

Going forward, chances for Aldershot were few and far between and all too often they wasted half chances with a poor final pass or a weak shot.
 
But that The Shots forced nearly a dozen corners illustrates that they stretched Millwall for large periods of the game.

From one of those corners Tony Craig magnificently scrambled Chris Blackburn’s header away from under his own crossbar. Had that gone in, The Shots would have equalised at 1-1 and the outcome might have been different.

Instead three other headers — one in the first half from Gary Alexander, followed by ones late on from Alexander, again, and substitute Ashley Grimes — did find the net, much to Waddock’s frustration.

“If you don’t defend crosses, you get punished,” said Waddock. “That was the difference between the two sides. We gave Millwall opportunities to deliver crosses in and then we didn’t pick up their attackers.”

Tight marking is one of defending’s most simple mantras and that Aldershot failed to do so must, in part, be credited to Alexander, whose movement was too cute for an Aldershot defence starved of injured captain Rhys Day, who has been such a pillar of strength in recent weeks.

With Anthony Charles having an off day and 38-year-old Ricky Newman’s lack of height and pace exposed by his former club, Aldershot were vulnerable and Millwall took full advantage.

But to blame the central defenders alone would be unfair. For the first goal, Blackburn stood off the first half’s outstanding player, David Martin, and then compounded his error by slipping. This was in the 30th minute, just when Millwall’s fans were beginning to get frustrated at their side’s inability to break down The Shots, who were looking pretty comfortable.

Martin’s cross found Alexander at the back post and he escaped Anthony Straker — who had two players to mark — and headed down past Nikki Bull.

The Aldershot ‘keeper was making his 300th appearance for the club but there was to be no FA Cup magic conjured up to mark his achievement.

Bull had no chance with either of the other two headers, either. Alexander’s second, moving onto an inswinging long cross from Chris Hackett was past Bull before he could react and Grimes’ was the pick of the bunch, picked out again by Hackett and heading accurately back into the near corner.

Not that The Shots didn’t, at times, give a good account of themselves. In between the two Alexander goals they made life especially difficult for Millwall, even if ‘keeper David Forde had little to do.

Tame shots from John Grant, Kirk Hudson and Marvin Morgan had been the sum of Aldershot’s early endeavours but, just after 20 minutes Hudson, Danny Hylton and Morgan combined well to force a corner.

With Hudson passing a fitness test, Hylton, available again after a three-match suspension, had been brought back into the side by Waddock at the expense of Soares, in a wide midfield role. With Andy Sandell cup-tied, the manager’s resources were stretched and only six of the seven available substitute positions were filled.

Aldershot’s best opportunity of the half was wasted by Straker on 38 minutes.

He broke forward well from left back into the area but instead of playing a simple ball back to Hylton, who had the freedom of the penalty area, Straker did not look up and drove the ball hopefully into the six-yard box.
 
“I think in the final third we tried to force the issue a little all game,” said Waddock. “Instead we could have showed a little more composure.”

Bull made a fine save from Martin on the stroke of half-time and, within 30 seconds of the restart, Alexander should have extended the lead but flicked the ball inches wide.

Millwall were clearly the more incisive team in the box and that was illustrated a minute later, when Grant took far too long to line up a shot from Ben Harding’s astute pass.

But The Shots did have the better of the game either side of the hour. Scott Davies, who was at the heart of most of Aldershot’s best moments — but also gave the ball away with frustrating regularity  — finally forced a save from Forde, Hylton curled a shot well over and Morgan’s cross was just too strong for Grant to make contact with.

Hylton reached a loose ball first at the edge of the area but his little chip lacked the elevation to beat Forde, who had been caught out of position. Then, on 59 minutes, when Forde was beaten, Craig did superbly well to hook Blackburn’s header off the line.

By then Millwall manager Kenny Jackett had seen enough and brought on the defensive-minded Alan Dunne, which allowed Hackett to push forward to right midfield.

Ultimately, that decision sealed the game for Millwall, thanks to Hackett’s crossing but, before the two late goals, Aldershot kept on coming. Craig was booked for scything down Morgan and Davies and Harding twice worked clever free-kicks into good areas but, in keeping with the rest of the afternoon, Aldershot’s final effort let them down.

In truth, by 70 minutes, Aldershot’s challenge had begun to fade. They had enjoyed a fine 20-minute spell but had not taken advantage.

Instead, as legs grew leaden, Charles almost turned the ball past Bull for what would have been a comical own-goal, Davies had to make a brave tackle in the six-yard box and then Blackburn’s knee blocked Neil Harris’s effort which was, guess what, a free header.

That denied Harris the goal that would have taken him past Teddy Sheringham and to the top of Millwall’s list of all-time leading goalscorers.

But while Harris will have to wait until another day, The Lions fans were soon celebrating. Hackett was given far too much time to swing in a cross and Alexander’s head did the rest.

At two-nil down The Shots accepted their fate, even if their supporters kept on singing. Millwall finally did look like a side chasing promotion in the league above The Shots and they could have added more than the fine header from Grimes, who was a lively substitute.

While Waddock had ended Grant’s ineffective afternoon and replaced him with Soares, he chose not to introduce either Rob Elvins or Junior Mendes from the bench and, by the end, Aldershot’s players had visibly tired, in mind and body.

Davies was  a little lucky to stay on the pitch, after appearing to strike out at Jimmy Abdou and then Charles mis-kicked a backpass, allowing Alexander a glorious chance to claim a hat-trick. Unable to use his head, Alexander blasted a woeful shot wide.

Four-nil would have been hugely harsh on Aldershot but while The Lions hardly roared into the Third Round — for an unglamorous tie at home to Carlisle or Crewe Alexandra — they had been superior in defence and attack and that, ultimately, gave them a comfortable win.

Aldershot Town: Bull, Blackburn, Straker, Newman, Charles, Davies, Hudson, Harding, Grant (Soares 72), Morgan, Hylton. Not used: Jaimez-Ruiz, Chalmers, Donnelly, Elvins, Mendes.

For more from Gary Waddock, see Tuesday's Aldershot Mail.