Millwall's 2013/14 season was full of ups and downs, but it ultimately ended on an enormous high when Championship survival was clinched with a final day win over Bournemouth at The Den. Here, we take a look back over the campaign and pick out 10 key moments which helped to shape the season.
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@MillwallFC1. Off the mark
Under new boss Steve Lomas The Lions struggled at the start of 2013/14 and had to wait until the middle of September for the first League win. The side lost four of their opening six games, and were underdogs when table-toppers Blackpool came to The Den, but goals from Liam Trotter (penalty), Nicky Bailey and Steve Morison, all after Tom Ince's opener, secured a first victory and sparked a run of three consecutive wins within a week.
2. Fordey's key save
David Forde's form has been nothing short of extraordinary at times over recent seasons, but he may not have made a better save in his entire career than the one that secured all three points at home to Wigan in December. The Lions were leading 2-1 when Wigan launched a stoppage time assault on Forde's goal, but the Irishman superbly tipped away Leon Barnett's goal-bound header to ensure Millwall's only victory that month.
3. Welcome to The Den, Ollie
After Lomas left the club on Boxing Day, the Board moved quickly to appoint Ian Holloway as new first team manager. The experienced boss arrived in early January, but tasted defeat in his first game in charge up at Huddersfield. The next game, though, at home to Ipswich Town, saw The Lions pick up their first win under his stewardship, and came courtesy of a fluke goal from debutant Ryan Fredericks.
4. Derby delight
Millwall's only victory on the road going into the March trip to Derby was a 1-0 victory over Charlton back in September. The Rams were chasing automatic promotion and had beaten The Lions 5-1 at The Den in the early weeks of the campaign, so Steve McClaren's men were heavy favourites to secure what would appear a routine victory. Ollie's side had other ideas, though, and took the lead when Steve Morison headed home in the second-half, a crucial lead which The Lions held on to despite a string of late injuries.
5. Right said Fred
Youngster Fred Onyedinma came off the bench to make his senior League debut in Millwall's next game - away at Blackpool - but the midfielder could do little to help his side from slipping to a 1-0 defeat at Bloomfield Road. A London derby with Charlton at The Den came next, and boss Ollie surprised many fans when he selected the 17-year-old to feature from the start against The Addicks in what was a high-pressure relegation 'six-pointer'. They shouldn't have been concerned, however, as the Academy graduate put in a fearless display of trickery and swagger, earning himself the Man of the Match award.
6. Carlos the catalyst?
Millwall's survival hopes looked fairly bleak when Carlos Edwards joined the side on loan from Ipswich Town at the end of March. On the 35-year-old's debut, Josh King snatched a cruel late equaliser for Blackburn at The Den which was another big blow, but the draw with Rovers turned out to be the first of eight unbeaten games which secured Championship safety. Edwards played in all of them, eventually slotting in at right-back, and his form was outstanding - performances which have since led to him signing a permanent deal at The Den. It would be unfair to say Edwards' arrival was the only key element, though, as several other factors, such as Nicky Bailey and Lee Martin's return to fitness, were equally important.
7. Woolford stuns Watford
After back-to-back April wins over Nottingham Forest and Wigan, The Lions headed into the home encounter with Watford looking for three consecutive wins for only the second time in 2013/14. The Hornets had other ideas, however, and lead 2-1 with seconds to spare. Step forward Martyn Woolford, who somehow found the back of the net in the dying moments to send The Den into raptures.
8. Maierhofer at the double
Millwall headed to the Riverside Stadium a week after the draw with Watford, coming up against a Middlesbrough side with ambitions to make a late surge into the Play-Offs. The home crowd, then, were in a state of shock at half-time when two headers from short-term signing Stefan Maierhofer - both set up by Lee Martin - handed The Lions a comfortable advantage. Emmanuel Ledesma ensured a nervy finale with a late free-kick, but The Hof's brace turned out to be enough to secure a third-straight away victory.
9. Late drama at Loftus Road
Millwall's run of six unbeaten games prior to the trip across London to face QPR left survival in the team's own hands, but Charlie Austin's controversial second-half penalty looked to send Ollie's men home from Loftus Road empty handed. The Lions chased for a stoppage time equaliser but were bereft of clear-cut opportunities until Scott Malone made contact with an awkward bouncing ball on the edge of the box, which R's keeper Rob Green bizarrely turned into his own net. The away end erupted.
10. The Great Escape is complete!
Having produced a remarkable run of form leading up to the final day visit of Bournemouth, The Lions knew that they would have to lose and Birmingham and Doncaster would have to get results for the club to drop into League One, but boss Ollie set a target of completing formalities with all three points against The Cherries. Millwall hadn't won at home since the January victory over Ipswich, but Woolford's first-half header secured a 1-0 win and with it Championship safety. The final whistle was greeted with a collective sigh of relief and a pitch invasion.
