The Sky Blues travel to The Den to play Millwall on Saturday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know about our opponents.
Fact File
Name: Millwall
Founded: 1885
Stadium: The Den (first opened 1993)
Capacity: 20,146
Nickname: The Lions
Address: The Den, Zampa Road, London, SE16 3LN
Pitch Size: 116 x 74 yards
The Opposition
Millwall are currently 16th in the table, two points ahead of the Sky Blues, and have drawn more games than any other team in the Championship this season.
The Lions squad includes last season’s Golden Glove winner Bartosz Bialkowski in goal and, the club’s top scorer with five league goals this term, Jed Wallace in midfield.
The London club have won just once in their last 12 league outings and were forced to postpone their last two fixtures due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the first-team squad.
Manager
Gary Rowett was appointed Millwall manager in October 2019, replacing club legend Neil Harris in the dugout at the Den.
The 46-year-old began his managerial career with Burton Albion, being appointed on a permanent basis in May 2012 following a spell as caretaker manager of the Brewers.
He led the club to the League Two play-offs in each of his first two seasons in charge losing in the semi-finals to Bradford City before then suffering defeat in the final to Fleetwood Town the following campaign.
Rowett took Burton into the automatic promotion places in his third full season in charge before departing for Birmingham City in October 2014, with the Brewers going on to win the League Two title that season.
The Bromsgrove-born manager took Blues out of the bottom three and eventually secured a top-half finish after his mid-season arrival, before finishing in the same position the following campaign.
Despite a strong start to the 2016/17 season, Rowett was sacked by the West Midlands club following a change of ownership in December 2016 and returned to management with Derby County in March 2017.
He took the Rams into the play-offs in his only full season in charge before suffering defeat to Fulham in the semi-finals and departing for Stoke City at the end of the campaign.
However, after a disappointing stint in charge, Rowett was sacked in January 2019 after just eight months at the helm and returned to the dugout with Millwall in October that same year, guiding the Lions to an eighth-place finish last term, missing out on the play-offs by two points.
With Millwall, Rowett has managed 58 matches recording 22 wins, 21 draws and 15 defeats.
Last Six Games
Drew – Millwall 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Sky Bet Championship)
Won – Bristol City 0-2 Millwall (Sky Bet Championship)
Lost – Middlesbrough 3-0 Millwall (Sky Bet Championship)
Drew – Millwall 1-1 QPR (Sky Bet Championship)
Lost – Millwall 0-1 Derby (Sky Bet Championship)
Lost – Blackburn 2-1 Millwall (Sky Bet Championship)
Last Time We Met
The two sides last met in February 2017 as the Sky Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Lions in a League One clash at the Ricoh Arena.
The visitors had the game’s first chance when Steve Morison was denied by a good save from Lee Burge at his near post, pushing the ball behind for a corner.
From the resulting set-piece, Millwall took the lead when Jake Cooper bundled home Shaun Williams corner from the right from close range.
City came close to an equaliser when Ferrand Rawson met Callum Reilly’s corner from the right, but saw his headed effort bounce down into the ground and over the bar from six-yards out.
Millwall had one final chance before the interval when Aiden O’Brien crossed for Lee Gregory, only for the striker to tamely head the ball straight at Burge who made a comfortable save.
The Lions had a chance to double their lead when Gregory took the ball away from Burge who had rushed out of his area before cutting it back for Morison who was denied by an excellent block from Rawson.
Millwall secured the three points late on when Fred Onyedinma’s shot was well-saved by Burge low down to his right with Morison on hand to turn home the rebound from close range.
Head-to-Head Record
Sky Blues Wins – 29
Draws – 14
Millwall Wins – 30
Club Connections
Simeon Jackson
Former Canada international striker Simeon Jackson had a brief spell with Millwall before completing a move to the Sky Blues.
Jackson burst onto the scene in non-league football with Rushden & Diamonds which earned him a move to Gillingham on January 2008.
He scored a last-minute winner in the 2008/09 League Two play-off final to secure promotion for the Gills and impressed the following season which earned him a move to Norwich City in July 2010.
The striker hit double figures as the Canaries secured promotion to the Premier League before scoring four goals in the top-flight over the next two seasons.
After a brief spell with Eintracht Braunschweig in Germany, Jackson signed for Millwall in February 2014 and scored two goals in 14 appearances for the Lions before joining the Sky Blues in the summer.
The 33-year-old would spend one season with City scoring three goals in 30 appearances before having spells with Barnsley, Blackburn Rovers, Walsall, Grimsby Town, St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Stevenage.
Josh McQuoid
Northern Ireland international Josh McQuoid had loan spells with both clubs as well as a permanent stint with the Lions.
McQuoid spent five years with Bournemouth, having come through the Cherries academy, before joining Millwall on loan in November 2010.
The move was made permanent the following January with McQuoid making 19 appearances for the club scoring one goal before being loaned to Burnley and sold back to Bournemouth in May 2012.
After a loan spell with Peterborough United, where he won the Football League Trophy, McQuoid joined the Sky Blues on loan in August 2014.
He netted five goals in 19 appearances for City before returning to the Cherries in January and ended his association with the South Coast side having achieved promotion from League Two, League One and the Championship whilst on the club’s books.
A three-year spell with Luton Town would follow, which included loan spells with Stevenage and Torquay United before completing a permanent move to non-league side Aldershot Town and then his current employers Weymouth.
Match Officials
James Linington will be the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon, taking charge of his 12th game of the 2020/21 season.
He last refereed the Sky Blues in August 2018, when City suffered a 2-0 defeat to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium in the EFL Cup.
This will be Linington’s 13th season as a Football League referee and he has officiated the Sky Blues on eight occasions, with City winning one, drawing two and losing five of those matches.
So far, Linington has awarded 22 yellow cards and one red card across 11 matches in the Championship, League One, League Two and Carabao Cup.
He will be assisted by Rob Smith and Ian Cooper with Trevor Kettle acting as fourth official.