Your big preview for our trip to the Den...
Following our back to back wins last week we head to the capital looking to extend our winning run this weekend at Millwall.
Our visit to the Den, Saturday 27th August 3pm, is our third away match of the season as we hope to continue our fine start to the season.
So ahead of tomorrow’s game, here is your preview with all you need to know…
Tickets
Tickets are available until 12pm today, Friday 26 August, to purchase from our Ticket Office.
With the Lower Tier now sold out, we are only selling tickets for the Upper Tier.
There will be tickets available on the day, either cash or card, from the North Stand Ticket Office.
| Category | Upper Tier Price (Matchday Price) |
| Adult | £27 (£30) |
| 63 and Over | £18 (£21) |
| Armed Forces | £18 (£21) |
| 18-21 | £18 (£21) |
| 16-17 | £15 (£18) |
| 15 and Under | £1 (£4) |
ROYALSTV
A reminder that our Season and Monthly subscriptions are now available for RoyalsTV – fans in the UK/Ireland can get hold of Audio packages (£4.49 per calendar month, or £45 for the entire season), while overseas supporters can get Video packages which cover eligible Sky Bet Championship fixtures (£25 per calendar month, or £140 for the entire season if bought before 1 September.
Additionally, the following Match Passes are available for this fixture against Millwall:
- Audio Match Pass (£2.50) | Worldwide
- Video Match Pass (£10) | Not available in UK/Ireland
See our available subscriptions
Travel
The nearest railway station to the ground is South Bermondsey, however with planned strike action all services serving this station are Rail Replacement Buses.
The nearest railway station to the ground that will be served by train is Surrey Quays, which is served by London Overground.
You can get there from Reading by changing at Paddington for the Elizabeth Line to Whitechapel, where you can change for a London Overground service to Surrey Quays.
Otherwise Bermondsey London Underground station is served by Jubilee Line trains and is a mile walk from the Den.
For supporters that are driving, the post code for the stadium is SE16 3LN.
Additional information
We have been advised by Millwall to remind supporters that pyrotechnics are banned from all EFL grounds and fans may be searched prior to entry at the turnstiles. In addition, all bottled liquids will be decanted at the turnstiles as will any drinks purchased in the ground.
The opposition
Founded in 1885, Millwall were founder members of the Southern League in 1894 and despite moving south of the river in 1910 they retained their name, joining the Football League 10 years later in time for the first season of third tier football.
The club would gain two promotions to the Second Division and suffer one relegation from it before the Second World War however the club found themselves as a founding member of the Fourth Division in 1958 when the two regional Division Threes merged.
This was one of two spells the Lions have spent in the fourth tier however back to back promotions saw them return to the second tier in 1966. The club then spent the next two decades switching between the Second and Third divisions before winning the Division Two title in 1988 to see the South London side reach the top flight for the first time.
The goals of Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino continued and saw the club earn a surprising 10th place finish however they suffered a case of second season syndrome in 1989-90 as they returned to the second tier.
The early 90s saw the Lions miss out on a top flight return twice in the Play-Offs. They started 1995-96 brightly and were top of table in December but after Mick McCarthy’s departure as manager the club only won four more games to see them relegated, with current Royals Assistant manager Alex Rae top scoring with 16.
Mark McGhee led them to the third tier title in 2001, with our current goalkeeping coach Tony Warner keeping net, however his successor Dennis Wise took the side to arguably an even greater feat, whilst continuing to play, by reaching the club’s first ever FA Cup Final in 2004, where they lost 3-0 to Manchester United. Despite the defeat the club qualified for Europe in another first but their UEFA Cup journey was ended by Hungarian giants Ferencavaros, with Wise scoring in both legs.
Following the former Chelsea captain’s departure the club were once again relegated to what was now League One with Kenny Jackett’s team overcoming Swindon Town at Wembley in 2010 to begin a half decade stint in the Championship.
The Play-Offs were required to again to end a two year spell back in the third tier in 2017 and since then the club have recorded four top half finishes with current boss Gary Rowett in October 2019.
This summer has seen the arrival of eight players to the Den with former Royals’ striker Benik Afobe making his loan spell permanent to begin a third stint in SE16, with other notable arrivals being Dutch midfielder Zian Flemming, George Honeyman and duo Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton on loan from Leeds United.
The Lions began the season on a winning note by beating both Rowett and Afobe’s former employers in Stoke City 2-0 and came from behind in their second home match of the season to win 3-2 against Coventry City.
Away from the Den it has been a different story however with defeats at Sheffield United and Noriwch City in the league being sandwiched in between an improbable 2-2 draw at Swansea City where two injury time goals went in their favour mean whilst their League Cup campaign ended at the First Round as they slid to a 1-0 defeat at League One side Cambridge United.
One to watch: George Honeyman
Prudhoe born George Honeyman, moved to South London this summer to bring to an end a three-year association with Hull City.
The midfielder began his career in the academy of Sunderland at the age of ten and made his first team bow for the Black Cats when Gus Poyet introduced him off the bench in an FA Cup tie with Bradford City in February 2015. After a nine game loan spell with National League side Gateshead, he made his Premier League debut at the end of the 2015-16 campaign as Sam Allardyce’s team earned a 2-2 draw at Watford.
His third appearance for Sunderland came under a third different manager when David Moyes gave him his first start, in an FA Cup match at Burnley, and he ended the season with five further runouts in the top flight.
Upon Sunderland’s relegation he became a first team regular and scored his first goal for the club in August 2017 in a 1-0 League Cup win at Bury, with his first league strike coming a week later at Sheffield Wednesday. He went on to score seven times in 45 appearances for the Black Cats however he suffered a second consecutive relegation.
Ahead of the Wearsiders’ first campaign in the third tier for 30 years, Honeyman was appointed captain by new manager Jack Ross and led the side to Wembley twice, with the North East team falling short at the final hurdle in their quest secure the EFL Trophy and promotion, with Honeyman’s final match for the club being the 2019 League One Play-Off final defeat to Charlton Athletic.
However, he earned a move back to the Championship that summer with his performances having caught the eye of then Hull City manager Grant McCann and made his debut on the opening day of the season against the Royals. He scored his first goal for the Tigers in a 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers, but his first season in East Yorkshire was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He played 44 times in 2019-20 but was unable to help Hull stay in the division as they fell into League One following a 3-0 defeat at Cardiff City on the final day of the season.
The Tigers claimed the League One title the following season with Honeyman playing a key role, with his goal on the final day of the season helping secure top spot, with him featuring once again over 40 times
The midfielder missed the start of last season through injury as the Humberside outfit got off to a poor start, but Honeyman played a crucial part in getting their season going, scoring in three of Hull four successive wins in November 2021, including netting against his future employers.
After 127 appearances he departed the KCOM Stadium with Millwall announcing his signing for an undisclosed fee in June. Honeyman got an assist in the Lions opening day win over Stoke City last month but saw red for just the second time in his career in their League Cup defeat at Cambridge United.
He returned from suspension to net his first goal for the Lions in their 3-2 comeback victory over Coventry City and the 27-year-old has since featured against Swansea City and Norwich City.
Head to Head
Saturday’s clash will see the Royals and Lions face off for the 90th time, and we currently edge the head to head 43 to 42, with 24 draws.
1920-21 was the first season for both sides in the Football League, with the visitors winning the first points on offer between the teams as they sneaked a 1-0 win at Elm Park that January.
Goals from Nicky Forster and Andy Hughes won us the points in November 2002 and started a run of only one defeat in 17 matches against the Londoners that lasted until 2017.
Our most recent win at the Den came in 2014 with goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak, Alex Pearce and Danny Williams securing the points with last season’s meetings being decided by the odd goal in Gary Rowett’s side’s favour.
Ref Watch
The Football League have confirmed that Chris Kavanagh will oversee our clash Gary Rowett’s side, with it being the fourth time he will be in charge of a Royals fixture, but his first since our 2-1 win against Rotherham United in April 2017.
Kavanagh has been refereeing in the Football League since 2014-15 with his first match being Burton Albion’s 2-1 win over Dagenham and Redbridge on the opening day of that season.
His first Reading match was a 0-0 home draw with Leeds United in the Championship in August 2015 with his second match also seeing no goals scored when we faced Birmingham City in RG2 in September 2016 .
It will be the Lancashire Officials’ first action of 2022-23 but he officiated 28 matches in 2021-22 in the UEFA Nations League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Premier League, Championship and EFL Cup, awarding 101 yellow cards and 4 red cards.
Kavanagh will be assisted by Simon Bennett and Daniel Robathan whilst Robert Lewis will act as fourth official.