Millwall and Blackburn Rovers, two less than ambitious mid-to-lower table Championship sides, played to a very predictable 0-0 draw at The Den on Saturday. They face a replay at Ewood Park to decide who will head to Wembley to face a Premier League foe.
The first half didn't really feature any events of note ... except for blood and bookings. Scott Dann took a nice elbow to the face early in the half and was bleeding profusely from the resulting wound. He had to play the rest of the match with a giant bandage on his face. The only real chance of the half came in the 40th minute, when Millwall striker Andrew Keogh hit the post with a diving header shortly after a set piece.
Danny Shittu had the best strike of the match, though he didn't manage to score. In the 57th minute, he took a speculative rip from 40 yards that nearly fooled Blackburn goalkeeper. Jake Kean. Luckily for the Rovers, he reacted well at the last moment and tipped the shot over the crossbar. A minute later, Millwall had another brilliant chance to score through Rob Hulse, but he put a shot off Keogh's cross over the bar from six yards when it was easier to score.
Blackburn never looked much like scoring until they created a good chance off a corner, in the 77th minute. Joshua King rose up to meet Morten Gamst Pederson's ball and connected well, but struck the post instead of the back of the net.
That was the last of the chances in the match, and a 0-0 draw is certainly a just result.