Nine-man Lions made to suffer

Sheer weight of numbers got the better of Millwall at Portman Road last night after they had been reduced to nine men by two sendings off.

Sheer weight of numbers got the better of Millwall at Portman Road last night after they had been reduced to nine men by two sendings off.

Ipswich took advantage to force extra time in their Worthington Cup second-round tie with goals from David Johnson and Titus Bramble, then Matthew Holland, Jim Magilton and a second from Johnson made it into something of a rout.

The Millwall players to see red were Joe Dolan and Steven Reid. Dolan's 28th-minute dismissal merely compounded the Lions' problems. From the 13th minute they had been forced to play without both strikers who had contributed their five goals against Oxford United on Saturday.

Sam Parkin was missing because Chelsea had not wanted the on-loan player to become Cup tied. He was soon to be joined on the sidelines by Neil Harris, who came off in no apparent discomfort although he had played with strapping over a broken finger.

Millwall, though, were clearly in no mood to capitulate easily. Eager to impress their new manager, Mark McGhee, who had left team selection to Ray Harford, the caretaker, they displayed admirable resilience.

Ipswich's early approach had been in extreme contrast to the almost diffident manner in which they began last week's first leg at the New Den. Although the Suffolk side survived a seven-minute scare when John McGreal cleared Christophe Kinet's free-kick with a header dangerously close to his own crossbar, they were soon pushing forward in numbers.

The Millwall defender Stuart Nethercott had escaped with one apparent foul on the re-called David Johnson, but when Dolan blatantly tugged the striker he was to receive the first of his yellow cards. Jim Magilton's free-kick was parried by Tony Warner but Jamie Clapham made a dreadful hash of the rebound.

Ipswich went closer still when, from McGreal's cross, Jamie Scowcroft had a header tipped on to the bar by the over-worked Warner. The keeper proceeded to race out of his goal to head clear from Johnson and was soon performing further heroics in more orthodox fashion. He flung himself full length to his right to turn aside Magilton's penalty following the incident which led to Dolan's exit. The defender saw red for bringing down Martijn Reuser.

The onslaught continued until the interval and inevitably beyond as the tally of Ipswich corner kicks steadily mounted. The hosts dispensed with a defender, Fabian Wilnis, bringing on Jermaine Wright against the club who launched his career. He was quick to supply a low cross, missed at the far post by Scowcroft lunging in.

Ipswich Town (4-4-2): R Wright; Wilnis (J Wright, h-t), McGreal, Bramble, Hreidarsson (Karic, 68); Reuser, Magilton, Holland, Clapham; Scowcroft (Naylor, 68), Johnson. Substitutes not used: Salmon (gk), Scales.

Millwall (4-4-2): Warner; Lawrence, Dolan, Nethercott, Ryan; Cahill, Livermore, Kinet, Ifill (Dyche, 30); Harris (Braniff, 13; Odunsi, 77) Reid. Substitutes not used: Guéret (gk), Gilkes.

Referee: A Hall (Birmingham).