Millwall 1 Barnsley 2: Hill delighted to get that winning feeling

On-loan striker Marcus Tudgay pounced in the third minute of stoppage time to secure an unexpected victory over the Lions, who saw Darius Henderson miss a penalty in the first half and Adam Smith sent off in the second.

Stephen Dawson made the most of Henderson’s 25th-minute penalty miss, given for a challenge from Scott Wiseman on him, by tapping home from close range to open the scoring for Barnsley moments later.

Millwall equalised through striker Chris Wood 10 minutes from time – less than half-an-hour after referee Trevor Kettle dismissed Tottenham loanee Smith for a lunge at David Perkins.

But there was a twist to come as Barnsley struck at the death through Tudgay, much to the relief of Hill.

“I’m delighted with the performance and delighted with the effort but let’s not get carried away, ” said Hill. “We must take it into the next game.

“We’ve been working hard all week on what we wanted to do. We had to give Millwall respect as they’ve been in excellent form and it worked for us.”

Hill felt Smith’s red card was harsh on the hosts, adding: “I don’t think it was a sending-off, and, at best, it was a yellow.

“The player was fully committed in the challenge and I like to see tackles. It was a well-timed tackle but I don’t think the ref saw it like that.

“We should have managed the end of the game better against 10 men. The momentum was with Millwall but I think that was their downfall at the end.

“It’s been a long and frustrating wait since we had the winning feeling. The fans that travelled deserve a lot of credit and they want a team to be proud of.”

Millwall chief Kenny Jackett, whose side have now lost two of their last four following a 13-game unbeaten run, was aggrieved with almost every aspect of the match. “Looking at the key points in the game we’ve missed a penalty, the sending off was a harsh one which we will be appealing, and the winning goal looked close to being offside.

“Going down to 10 galvanised us and we played better so it’s hugely disappointing to lose.

“We were going all out for the win and it showed at the end. The penalty miss wasn’t the only turning point in the game but it did have an effect on its outcome.

“I don’t think we did enough when we had 11 men to win it. The character we showed when we went down to 10 was admirable, but the red card baffles me.”

Millwall: Forde, Adam Smith, Shittu, Beevers, Lowry, Henry, Wright, Trotter, Feeney (Jack Smith 64), Wood, Henderson (N’Guessan 69). Unused substitutes: Maik Taylor, Dunne, Batt, Osborne, Malone.

Barnsley: Steele, Stones, Foster, Cranie (Wiseman 20), Golbourne, Dawson, Hassell, O’Brien (Harewood 73), Perkins (Done 84), Tudgay, Dagnall. Unused substitutes: Alnwick, Cywka, Greening, Rose.

Referee: T Kettle (Rutland).

Man of the match: Stephen Dawson.