Reading 0-1 Millwall: Andreas Voglsammer penalty seals Lions win

Millwall bolstered their Championship play-off hopes with a hard-earned 1-0 victory in a feisty encounter at Reading.

In a scrappy first half, the visitors secured an early advantage when German midfielder Andreas Voglsammer coolly converted a penalty.

The second period was little better, although neither side were able to create any clear-cut chances, but Millwall maintained their composure for a vital narrow win.

Millwall's play-off push had stuttered lately, with only two wins in their past six outings.

Reading were in similarly-poor form, winning only two of their past 11 league matches.

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Millwall began sluggishly but at least offered a number of robust tackles as the hosts sought to find a way through going forward.

Jeff Hendrick did fashion a half-chance for Reading but his long-range effort was blocked.

Having finally settled, Millwall went ahead in the 11th minute after sloppy play in the home midfield - primarily from defender Naby Sarr.

Zian Flemming ran through alone and, just as he entered the area, goalkeeper Joe Lumley brought him down with a clumsy challenge.

Referee Michael Salisbury pointed to the spot and Voglsammer made no mistake, slamming the ball past Lumley high into his right-hand top corner.

Millwall looked to build on their advantage but Flemming and fellow 13-goal striker Tom Bradshaw were starved of decent service.

Reading tried to regroup and push into the Millwall half but the visitors were always in control at the back and rarely troubled.

From a Tom Ince free kick in a dangerous position on the right flank, Lions goalkeeper George Long rose well to gather the ball with ease.

As the game grew increasingly fractious before half time, Salisbury had to speak to Reading manager Paul Ince to calm him down.

Millwall made a bright opening to the second period, with Flemming at the heart of much of their forward movement.

Voglsammer also proved troublesome for the home defence, a left-wing cross from him only caught by Lumley at the last moment as it threatened to creep into the net.

Andy Carroll tried to get Reading going but - as in the first half - was still subject to some fierce attention from his markers.

It meant that the home side were unable to make any significant headway, allowing Millwall to absorb the sporadic pressure and then break swiftly.

Another clever cross from Voglsammer had Lumley in trouble again but there was no team-mate on hand to tuck the ball home from close range.

Millwall gradually retreated further, protecting their lead, and Long had to move smartly to save at the feet of Reading substitute Lucas Joao.

Manager Ince was eventually booked near the end as Salisbury's patience ran out and the Lions held on relatively comfortably to boost their bid for the top six.

The managers

Reading's Paul Ince:

"It was just one mistake, that was it. It was always going to be a scruffy game. I said to the lads that the last thing you want to do is give Millwall a goal because all they do is defend for their lives. And that's exactly how it went. We lost the ball in an uncomfortable position, we didn't do enough, give away the penalty and they score it. That's the basis of why we lost the game.

"There was nothing else about it. It was a scruffy game, a horrible game and they made it that way. The only real disappointment was that we didn't have a shot on target - that's not like us at home. But I can't say that the players haven't given their all, that the endeavour was not there. In the second half, I thought that we were in the ascendancy and looked like the only team that was going to score. But we're just not getting the right balls in the box, the quality of the crossing was poor at times. Maybe we weren't gambling enough. I've no real qualms about it, though. It was the game I expected and it was never going to be a classic."

Millwall's Gary Rowett:

"I thought that we started quite well and got the goal through a good bit of play. Good transition, a bit of quality when Zian (Flemming) does really well and gets brought down for the penalty. I think that there was a question mark whether it was inside the area. It was so close. It's like: 'Is it on the line, is it an inch inside, is it an inch outside'? I couldn't really answer but I know we probably got a little bit of the rub of the green with that decision.

"Then Andreas takes the penalty and it's a brilliant finish. He said to me: 'I'm German, what do you expect? Of course I'm going to score'. At that point, my only bugbear was that perhaps we made the game a bit harder than we needed it to be by not using the ball well enough. But we were really solid and dealt with Andy Carroll pretty well because he is such a handful. It was a really good battle with Charlie Cresswell - a really honest battle - and I thought that we limited him (Carroll) and Reading as well to very few efforts on goal."

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