Leeds United F.C.–Millwall F.C. rivalry

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Leeds United F.C. v Millwall F.C.
Division Two, 7 September 1931)
Latest meetingLeeds United 2–0 Millwall
(Championship, 17 March 2024)
StadiumsElland Road (Leeds)
The Den (Millwall)
Statistics
Meetings total42
Most wins19 (Leeds)
Most player appearancesAlan Dunne (16)[1]
Top scorerTony Cascarino (5)[2]
All-time seriesLeeds United: 19
Millwall: 18
Drawn: 5
Largest victoryMillwall 0–3 Leeds United
(Championship, 17 September 2023)
The teams' stadia in England are 171 miles (285 km) apart.[3]

The rivalry between Leeds United and Millwall is a bitter

Championship, culminating in Millwall knocking Leeds out of the League One playoffs at the semi-final stage.[8][9]

The rivalry between the teams is intensified by both clubs' passionate fans and association with

.

The clubs have played each other 42 times and are evenly matched. Leeds have won 19, Millwall have won 18, with five games drawn and both sides being dominant at home. As of the 2023–24 season, both teams play in the Championship. The clubs have competed in different divisions for the best part of their 97 seasons in the Football League, and have spent just nineteen seasons together in the same tier.

History of the rivalry

Founding of the clubs and entering the Football League: 1885–1930

the Football League for financial irregularities.[6] Based in West Yorkshire; United they played in the Midland League for one season, before both Millwall and Leeds joined the Football League in 1920–21 season.[21] Leeds were elected to the Second Division and Millwall were invited to join the newly created Third Division.[22] Leeds spent their first few years in the Football League yo-yoing between the First and Second Division, they were promoted to the First in 1923–24 and 1927–28 seasons and relegated to the Second Division in 1926–27 and 1930–31 seasons. Millwall spent eight seasons in the Third tier, before being promoted to the Second as Champions in the 1927–28 season.[23]

Different leagues (12 meetings in 72 years): 1931–2003

Leeds were relegated from the First to the Second Division in the 1930–31 season, joining Millwall in the same tier for the first time.[24] The clubs met for their first competitive fixture on 7 September 1931, where 9,000 fans saw Millwall win 1–0 at Elland Road with a goal from Jimmy Poxton.[25] Leeds won the return fixture at The Den a week later 3–2.[25] The sides didn't meet again until after World War II in the 1947–48 season.[26] Leeds won 2–1 at Elland Road and the teams drew 1–1 at the Den.[26] It was 37 years before the teams would play another game, with both sides competing in different leagues in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.[27] The teams were both in the Second Division for the 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons.[28] On 9 November 1985, Millwall won 3–1 at The Den and Leeds won the return match at Elland Road in April 1986 by the same score.[29] Teddy Sheringham scored the only goal in a 1–0 win at The Den for Millwall the following season, and Andy Ritchie and Ian Baird scored the goals in a 2–0 win for Leeds at Elland Road.[30] In the 1987–88 season; Millwall were promoted as Champions to the First Division for the first time in their history and enjoyed their best run of form against Leeds, winning the next four games.[31] On 14 November 1987, Tony Cascarino scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win at The Den and Terry Hurlock and Cascarino scored the goals a 2–1 win at Elland Road, the first League double in the fixture.[31] The teams also played two games in the Full Members' Cup in 1987 and 1988 at The Den, both 2–0 wins for Millwall.[1] Tony Cascarino scored his fifth goal against Leeds in the 2–0 cup win on 29 November 1988, and in doing so became the record goalscorer in the fixture.[32]

Rising hostilities and League One promotion battles: 2004–2010

"There is always a bit of added excitement when we play Leeds United. They are a massive club with a great tradition, and our rivalry dates back to some epic encounters we had with them in League One as we both endeavoured to win promotion to the Championship."

John Berylson, Millwall chairman (15 November 2012)[33]

Leeds were relegated from the

Ahmet Brkovic pulled two consolation goals back for the Lions.[1] On 19 April 2008, Leeds completed their second League double over Millwall, with goals from David Prutton and Andy Hughes in a 2–0 win at The Den. This is Leeds best streak in the fixture, winning four in a row and going six games unbeaten.[1] Due to the disorder in the 2007–08 season, kick-off times in future fixtures were made earlier and matches heavily policed at The Den by the Metropolitan Police and at Elland Road by the West Yorkshire Police.[13] Leeds finished the season in fifth and reached the 2008 League One play-off final, losing 1–0 to Doncaster Rovers
.

The sides met four times in the 2008–09 season, with both teams vying for promotion to the Championship. On 18 October 2008, Luciano Becchio gave Leeds the lead at the Den, but goals from Dave Martin and a brace from Neil Harris secured a 3–1 win for Millwall. Jermaine Beckford scored both goals in the return fixture in a 2–0 win for Leeds. Both teams finished in the League One play-offs; Leeds in fourth on 84 points and Millwall in fifth place with 82 points, which set up a two-legged semi-final. Millwall won the first leg at the Den 1–0, with a goal from Neil Harris in the 71st minute.[8][9] In the return leg at Elland Road, a record 37,036 fans saw the biggest game between the two sides.[38] Leeds evened the tie on aggregate at 1–1, with a goal by Luciano Becchio in the 53rd minute. A goal from Jimmy Abdou in the 74th minute won the semi-final for Millwall, sending them to Wembley.[38] The Lions went on to lose the 2009 League One play-off final 2–3 to Scunthorpe United. Both teams were again battling for promotion in the 2009–10 season. Due to trouble in previous seasons, a hugely unpopular 'anti-hooligan operation' was introduced by West Yorkshire Police in 2010 for Millwall fans to exchange vouchers for tickets at Woolley Edge service station on the M1 motorway near Wakefield.[15][17] The restriction severely affected the atmosphere in the ground; limiting the number of supporters attending away games at Elland Road, from the capacity of 3,000 visiting fans down to just 150.[16][39] The Whites were top of the table for most of the first half of the 2009–10 season, and only lost once in their first 24 games. That defeat was a 2–1 loss at the Den, with goals from Neil Harris and Gary Alexander. In March 2010, Millwall completed their second League double over Leeds, with Steve Morison and Shaun Batt securing a 2–0 win at Elland Road. It was their first away win in the fixture in 22 years.[40] At the end of the season Leeds finished second in League One on 86 points and were promoted automatically. Millwall finished third on 85 points and were promoted via the play-offs, with a 1–0 win over Swindon Town in the 2010 League One play-off final.[40]

Animosity continues into the Championship: 2011–

Bradford City 1–0 in the 2017 League One play-off final, gaining promotion to the Championship.[44]

In the 2017–18 season, Millwall rejoined Leeds in the Championship after a two year absence. The sides met at the Den on 16 September 2017, with Leeds unbeaten and top of the Championship table. An Aiden O'Brien goal won the game for Millwall 1–0, with Leeds conceding their first goal in over ten hours of football.[45] In the return fixture at Elland Road on 20 January 2018; Millwall beat Leeds 4–3, the highest ever scoring game between the sides. In a highly eventful match, Leeds came back from 0–2 and a man down after their captain Liam Cooper was sent-off to lead 3–2, but two late goals in the final two minutes gave Millwall their third league double over Leeds and first away win of the season.[46] The sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Den the following season, with Jed Wallace giving the Lions the lead just after half-time, and a late equaliser by Jack Harrison in the 89th minute sharing the points.[47] Leeds won the return fixture at Elland Road 3–2. Millwall twice took the lead, but a Pablo Hernández double secured all three points for the Whites.[48] In the 2019–20 season, managerless Millwall won 2–1 at home against Leeds, their eighth victory in the last ten games against Leeds at the Den. A penalty from Jed Wallace and a goal from Tom Bradshaw gave Millwall a two-goal lead, before Ezgjan Alioski pulled a goal back for Leeds. Gaetano Berardi was sent off for Leeds, his seventh red card for the club.[49] In January 2020, Leeds came from behind to beat Millwall 3–2 at Elland Road. Millwall took a 2–0 lead in the first 23 minutes, with goals from Shaun Hutchinson and Jed Wallace. After half-time Leeds scored three goals in 15 minutes, with a brace from Patrick Bamford and Pablo Hernández scoring the other goal.[50] At the end of the season, Leeds were promoted to the Premier League as champions and Millwall finished eighth. Leeds spent three seasons in the Premier League, before being relegated back into the Championship for the 2023–24 season.

Notable matches

The first game between the sides. 9,000 fans at

winger Jimmy Poxton.[25] It was only one of four home defeats in the 1931–32 season for Leeds, who finished runners-up in the Second Division and were promoted. Millwall finished ninth.[25]

In the

The FA launched an investigation into the trouble, with Ankergren saying, "I was pushed in the back by one of the fans that came on the pitch too. It's very bad for football and Millwall should be punished."[52]

37,036 fans at Elland Road saw the most important game between the two sides, the largest ever attendance in the fixture and largest outside of the Premier League in the 2008–09 season.[38] Leeds dominated early possession and were awarded a penalty. Millwall keeper David Forde saved a weak spot-kick by Jermaine Beckford. Leeds pressure eventually paid off, with a goal by Luciano Becchio in the 53rd minute which evened the tie at 1–1. Millwall soaked up more pressure before catching United on the counter-attack, with a goal by defensive midfielder Jimmy Abdou in the 74th minute.[38] Millwall held on to win 2–1 on aggregate. They went on to lose the playoff final 2–3 to Scunthorpe United. The following season; Leeds finished second and were promoted automatically and Millwall finished third and were promoted via the playoffs.[40]

The highest scoring game in the fixture. Millwall led at half-time through goals from Aiden O'Brien and Lee Gregory, with Leeds down to ten men after Liam Cooper was sent-off. In the second half Leeds turned the game on its head by scoring three goals in 17 minutes (Kemar Roofe and Pierre-Michel Lasogga with a brace). Millwall finished off a highly eventful topsy-turvy game with an equaliser from Tom Elliott in the 88th minute, and the winner from Jed Wallace two minutes into stoppage-time. This game was Millwall's first away win of the 2017–18 season and third league double over Leeds.[53][46]

Results

As of 17 March 2024.[1][54][55]

By competition

On 27 October 2007, Leeds and Millwall fans clashed with mounted police by the Billy Bremner statue outside Elland Road.[7]
Competition Played Leeds wins Drawn Millwall wins Leeds goals Millwall goals
Football League 38 19 4 15 57 49
Play-offs 2 0 1 1 1 2
Full Members' Cup 2 0 0 2 0 4
Total 42 19 5 18 58 55

This table only includes competitive first-team games, excluding all pre-season games, friendlies, abandoned matches, testimonials and games played during the First and Second World Wars.

Full list of results

Score lists home team first.
Date Score Winner Competition Venue Attendance Notes
7 September 1931 0–1 Millwall Second Division Elland Road 9,000 First ever game between the teams.[25]
14 September 1931 2–3 Leeds United Second Division
The Den
11,844
22 November 1947 2–1 Leeds United Second Division Elland Road 24,000
10 April 1948 1–1 Draw Second Division
The Den
21,426
9 November 1985 3–1 Millwall Second Division
The Den
9,758 First game between the sides in 37 years, longest period without meeting.
12 April 1986 3–1 Leeds United Second Division Elland Road 15,067
8 November 1986 1–0 Millwall Second Division
The Den
6,869
4 April 1987 2–0 Leeds United Second Division Elland Road 18,304
14 November 1987 3–1 Millwall Second Division
The Den
8,014 Tony Cascarino hat-trick.[31]
8 December 1987 2–0 Millwall Full Members' Cup
The Den
5,034 Second round.
6 April 1988 1–2 Millwall Second Division Elland Road 24,241 League double (1st for Millwall), first win at Elland Road for 57 years.
29 November 1988 2–0 Millwall Full Members' Cup
The Den
4,178 Second round, last game between the sides at the Old Den.
19 December 2004 1–1 Draw
Championship
Elland Road 26,265 First game in 16 years.
6 March 2005 1–1 Draw
Championship
The Den 11,510 First game at the New Den between the teams.
7 August 2005 2–1 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 20,440
26 November 2005 0–1 Leeds United
Championship
The Den 8,134 League double (1st for Leeds), Leeds first win at The Den for 74 years.
27 October 2007 4–2 Leeds United League One Elland Road 30,319 Violent clashes between both sets of fans and police occur before and after game.
19 April 2008 0–2 Leeds United League One The Den 13,395 League double (2nd for Leeds)
18 October 2008 3–1 Millwall League One The Den 13,041
9 February 2009 2–0 Leeds United League One Elland Road 19,314 Jermaine Beckford scores his second and third goals against Millwall in the fixture.
9 May 2009 1–0 Millwall Playoff Semi-final The Den 13,228 First leg.
14 May 2009 1–1 Draw Playoff Semi-final Elland Road 37,036 Second leg. Millwall advanced to the League One Playoff Final winning 2–1 on aggregate.[9]
24 October 2009 2–1 Millwall League One The Den 14,165 Former Millwall manager Neil Harris scores his fourth goal against Leeds.[40]
22 March 2010 0–2 Millwall League One Elland Road 21,348 League double (2nd for Millwall), first win at Elland Road for 22 years.
21 August 2010 3–1 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 25,067
9 April 2011 3–2 Millwall
Championship
The Den 16,724 Luciano Becchio scores his third goal against Millwall in the defeat.
3 December 2011 2–0 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 27,161
24 March 2012 0–1 Leeds United
Championship
The Den 14,309 League double (3rd for Leeds).
18 November 2012 1–0 Millwall
Championship
The Den 13,117 Future Leeds player Chris Wood scores the 85th-minute winner for Millwall.
2 March 2013 1–0 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 19,002
28 September 2013 2–0 Millwall
Championship
The Den 13,063
22 March 2014 2–1 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 23,211
9 August 2014 2–0 Millwall
Championship
The Den 16,205
14 February 2015 1–0 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 24,000 Alan Dunne makes his 16th and last appearance in the fixture, a record.
16 September 2017 1–0 Millwall
Championship
The Den 16,447 Seventh game in a row won by the home team.
20 January 2018 3–4 Millwall
Championship
Elland Road 33,564 League double (3rd for Millwall). Highest ever scoring game in the fixture.
15 September 2018 1–1 Draw
Championship
The Den 17,195 First draw in fifteen games.
30 March 2019 3–2 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 34,910
5 October 2019 2–1 Millwall
Championship
The Den 16,311 Jed Wallace scored his third goal against Leeds for Millwall.
28 January 2020 3–2 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 34,006 Leeds came from 2–0 down at half-time. In the last three games at Elland Road there have been 17 goals.
17 September 2023 0–3 Leeds United
Championship
The Den 17,909 Largest victory in the fixture.
17 March 2024 2–0 Leeds United
Championship
Elland Road 34,813 League double (4th for Leeds).

Statistics

As of 17 March 2024.
Steve Morison has played for both clubs, scoring 92 goals for Millwall and 5 for Leeds.[56]

Firsts

  • First ever meeting: Leeds United 0–1 Millwall (Second Division), 7 September 1931[25]
  • First away victory for Leeds United: Millwall 2–3 Leeds United (Second Division), 14 September 1931[25]

Results

Trends

  • Most consecutive wins (Leeds United): 4, 7 August 2005 – 19 April 2008[1]
  • Most consecutive wins (Millwall): 4, 14 November 1987 – 29 November 1988[1]
  • Longest undefeated run (Leeds United): 6 (four wins, two draws), 19 December 2004 – 19 April 2008[1]
  • Longest undefeated run (Millwall): 6 (four wins, two draws), 14 November 1987 – 6 March 2005[1]
  • Home form:
    • Leeds United (Won 13, drawn 2 and lost 4)
    • Millwall (Won 13, drawn 3 and lost 5)
  • Away form:
    • Leeds United (Won 5, drawn 3 and lost 13)
    • Millwall (Won 4, drawn 2 and lost 13)
  • Most consecutive draws: 2, 19 December 2004 – 6 March 2005[1]
  • Most consecutive games without a draw: 14, 24 October 2009 – 20 January 2018[1]
  • Most games played against each other in a season: 3 (1987–88 season)[1]
  • Longest period without playing each other: 37 years, 6 months, 30 days. 10 April 1948 – 9 November 1985[27]
  • Record highest attendance: 37,036. 14 May 2009, Elland Road. Leeds United 1 Millwall 1[9]
  • Record lowest attendance: 4,178. 29 November 1988, The Den. Millwall 2 Leeds United 0[32]
  • Average Leeds home attendance: 24,013 (over 18 games)
  • Average Millwall home attendance: 12,569 (over 21 games)
  • Most player appearances: Alan Dunne (16), Millwall. He made his first appearance coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute at Elland Road in a 1–1 draw on 19 December 2004, and his last in a 1–0 defeat at Elland Road on 14 February 2015.[1]
  • Record goal scorer: Tony Cascarino (5), Millwall. Scored a hat-trick on 14 November 1987, one goal on 6 April 1988 and his last on 29 November 1988.[2]

League One finishing positions

The clubs' last two seasons together in League One were very evenly matched, and the rivalry intensified with both teams pushing for promotion. This table shows their finishing positions.

Pos 2008–09 season Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
4
Leeds United
46 26 6 14 77 49 +28 84
5 Millwall 46 25 7 14 63 53 +10 82
Pos 2009–10 season Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
2 Leeds United (P) 46 25 11 10 77 44 +33 86
3 Millwall (PO) 46 24 13 9 76 44 +32 85

(P) = Promoted; (PO) = Promoted (play-off winner)

Crossing the divide

Managers and coaches

Dennis Wise was player-manager at Millwall from 2003–05, where he led them to the FA Cup final and European football for the first time in their history.[57] He took charge of Leeds in 2006 but couldn't stop them being relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.[37] Wise resigned in January 2008 with Leeds eighth in the League, to take up a role at Newcastle United.[58]

Players

Players who have played for both teams.

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 438–440.
  3. ^ "Distance Between Millwall F.C. and Leeds United". Sport Map World. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  4. ^ "United fans jailed after bitter clash". Yorkshire Evening Post. 9 August 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 8.
  6. ^ a b "History - Leeds United". LeedsUnited.com.
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  8. ^ a b c Jackson, Jamie (9 May 2009). "Police prepare for crowd trouble as Leeds and Millwall chase promotion". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
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  10. ^ a b "The English disease: How Leeds and Millwall fans were the scourge of football, by Hillsborough coroner". Yorkshire Evening Post. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
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  12. ^ "Ranked! The 30 most hated ever teams in British football: 10-1". FourFourTwo. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b Upal, Sunni (17 March 2014). "Holloway: Millwall v Leeds United rivalry should just be about football". News Shopper. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  14. ^ Jackson, Jamie (22 August 2010). "The hooligan problem and football violence that just won't go away". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
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  17. ^ a b "Fans' anger at M1 ticket pick-up". BBC News. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  18. ^ "2012-13 Football Rivalry Survey Results". Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  19. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 252–302.
  20. ^ Lindsay (1991), pp. 16–17.
  21. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 304.
  22. ^ Lindsay (1991), p. 17.
  23. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 318.
  24. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), pp. 326–327.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 323.
  26. ^ a b Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), pp. 358.
  27. ^ a b Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 360–433.
  28. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), pp. 334–339.
  29. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), pp. 334.
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  31. ^ a b c Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 438.
  32. ^ a b Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 440.
  33. ^ "Looking forward to Leeds". Millwall Football Club. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  34. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 472.
  35. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 474.
  36. ^ "Leeds 0-3 Watford". BBC Sport.[permanent dead link]
  37. ^ a b "Leeds complete triple swoop". Evening Standard. 7 August 2007.
  38. ^ a b c d Shaw, Phil (14 May 2009). "Jimmy Abdou takes Millwall to Wembley at Leeds' expense". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  39. ^ "Elland Road - Leeds United". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  40. ^ a b c d Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 482.
  41. ^ "Leeds United: Millwall apologise for fans' Turkish taunts". Yorkshire Evening Post. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  42. ^ "Ian Holloway condemns Millwall fans over 'obscene' Jimmy Savile chants". The Guardian. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  43. ^ "Barnsley 3–1 Millwall". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  44. ^ "Bradford City 0–1 Millwall". BBC Sport. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  45. ^ Glendenning, Barry (17 September 2017). "Millwall end Leeds' unbeaten record thanks to Aiden O'Brien's strike". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
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  50. ^ "Leeds United 3-2 Millwall: Patrick Bamford scores twice in comeback win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
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  53. ^ Hay, Phil (20 January 2018). "Full-time: Leeds United 3 Millwall 4 - Ten-man Whites beaten on extraordinary day at Elland Road". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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  55. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 492.
  56. ^ "Steve Morison all time playing career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  57. ^ Lindsay & Tarrant (2010), p. 228.
  58. ^ "Wise gets powerful Newcastle role". BBC Sport. 29 January 2008.

Bibliography

External links