Huddersfield Town in for rough ride at New Den

A perfect name, therefore, to christen the home of Millwall, a football club where the locals delight in reminding anyone brave enough to head down the Old Kent Road that no one likes them. And that they don't care anyway.

The Den, both in its new and old guises, has for decades been recognised as the most intimidating venue in English football with countless teams being beaten long before their bus inches its way through the narrow south London streets.

From the baying partisan crowd to the incessant abuse aimed in the direction of all visitors, a trip to the home of Millwall has never been for the faint-hearted.

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Even today when many football stadia have become sanitised versions of their old selves, The Den retains a sense of menace that means only the masochistic or psychotic relish a trip south of the river.

It is into this notoriously intimidating arena that Huddersfield Town will step tonight for a play-off semi-final second leg that will test the nerves of Lee Clark's men to the limits.

The Terriers will be backed by a vociferous army of fans but, even so, the tie will be a huge test of character for a side that lost 3-1 on their last visit in September.

One man who knows all about the hostility Huddersfield can expect tonight is former Millwall captain Dave Cusack.

Now 53, the Rotherham-born one-time Sheffield Wednesday defender and Doncaster Rovers manager remains hugely popular in south London after captaining the club to promotion in 1985.

Cusack still attends Lions home games and will be there tonight as his adopted club look to capitalise on a goalless draw in the first leg by reaching Wembley.

He said: "Huddersfield are in for a rough ride, even if the new ground is not a patch on the old one in terms of intimidating visiting teams.

"I only ever played at the old Den, which was a place built for lions whereas the new Den is built for the soft modern-day footballer.

"In the old days, the fans were more or less on top of you and I lost count of the number of times a winger ended up playing inside-forward for the day to try and avoid all the abuse that would come his way on the touchline.

"That was especially the case in front of the big terrace that ran down one side of the ground.

"The new Den (to which Millwall moved in 1993) is not quite like that with it being all-seater. But it can still be a place that opposition teams don't enjoy visiting.

"The Millwall fans are the most hostile you could play in front of. The hostility comes from the passion they have for their club. They absolutely love Millwall and are quite insular as a result.

"Millwall, as a club, have a very strong identity and the area is rightly proud of the club. That seeps into the players. As a Millwall player, the fans put something into you that even the manager can't."

Cusack joined Millwall in 1982 for 60,000 after then manager George Graham had been impressed with his no-nonsense style at Southend United.

It proved a masterstroke by the Scot with the former Owls defender going on to make almost 100 appearances before moving to Doncaster as player-coach under Billy Bremner.

Twenty-five years have passed since he last played for the Lions but he remains loyal to his adopted club. "I am a Yorkshireman but my allegiances are with Millwall.

"I saw Huddersfield earlier in the season and I believe it won't be a high-scoring game at The Den but it will still be a cracker."

Whether Town, like Daniel in the Bible, can survive stepping into the Lions' Den remains to be seen. If Clark's men are to reach Wembley, though, they are going to have to tame the most hostile supporters in the land.

Last six games: Millwall DLWLWD, Huddersfield Town WWWWLD.

Referee: A Bates (Staffordshire).

Last time: Millwall 3 Huddersfield Town 1; September 9, 2009; League One.