Millwall vs Brighton and Hove Albion. Sky Bet Championship.
The DenAttendance9,105.
Wednesday 18 March 2015 17:17, UK
Neil Harris could not mastermind Millwall's first win on home soil since October as his first game at the Den since taking caretaker charge ended in a frustrating 0-0 Championship draw with Brighton.
The hosts enjoyed the better of a cagey first half with Aiden O'Brien and Shaun Williams causing Chris Hughton's men problems.
But the Seagulls had lost only two of their previous eight fixtures and looked the likeliest to score after the break, although neither side set the world alight.
The result continued the Lions' struggles as they battle to avoid relegation to League One, with their plight looking more and more desperate as games are ticked off.
Millwall started well in their bid for a first win since February 10, with a wicked Williams corner causing a panicked goalmouth scramble in the Brighton box, before O'Brien dragged an effort wide from a quick counter.
The visitors' first chance came about after a rush of blood from Millwall keeper and skipper David Forde, who raced from his goal to try and challenge Craig Mackail-Smith 30 yards from goal - the Brighton forward lost possession after rounding the stranded Forde.
Harris' men recovered well from that scare, Williams seeing a powerful shot well blocked before Martyn Woolford's first touch let him down in the six-yard box, the side netting the best he could manage at the key moment.
Williams came close again from a free-kick after 25 minutes after O'Brien had been brought down 20 yards out, but his curling effort flew just over David Stockdale's goal.
Brighton had not won away from the Amex in over two months, and although Leon Best forced a diving save from Forde after some neat footwork, the Seagulls looked unlikely to end their travelling drought as the half wore on.
The hosts finished the first half on top as O'Brien fired at Stockdale after dribbling effortlessly past several would-be Brighton tacklers.
The game threatened to come to life for a short period after the break, with Seagulls full-back Joe Bennett curling a close-range free-kick against Forde's bar, the home shot-stopper merely a spectator to the impressive effort.
Millwall strung a couple of decent attacks together in response, although a speculative Gary Taylor-Fletcher effort from 25 yards was less promising.
And it was the visitors who seemed to be taking a stranglehold on the game with Best inexplicably able to find some space at the back post from Bruno Saltor's ball, only for his header back across the Millwall goal to drift wide.
Lee Gregory should have done better from a whipped cross after 71 minutes but could not glance it goalwards.
But just as Harris' men had looked more dangerous in the first half, it was Brighton who finished the stronger as a cagey affair ended goalless.
