Millwall ready for Telford battle

Tim Cahill insists Millwall are ready to get their hands dirty to make sure they do not slip up against Telford in an FA Cup fourth round tie which has twice been postponed by torrential rain.

The Nationwide Conference club have spent £15,000 (€22,000) on a heated balloon to protect the Bucks Head Stadium pitch, which has had 40 tons of sand emptied onto it in a bid to beat bad weather in the region.

But Cahill claims Millwall can avoid a shock defeat on the dodgy surface by proving they are up to a physical battle if the pitch passes an inspection tomorrow morning, with a round five tie against Burnley awaiting the winners.

Cahill said: “We’re going to be playing on a bad pitch but we’ll stick our leg in and do our best.

“We don’t mind getting dirty and we’re ready to mix it. We’ve just got to work hard and get through it to make sure it’s not a potential banana skin.

“Our results have been good lately and we’ve just got to make sure we apply ourselves.”

Millwall have suffered just one defeat in their last 10 games under player/manager Dennis Wise, himself an FA Cup winner with Wimbledon and Chelsea.

Key to that revival, which has put the Lions within sight of the Nationwide Division One play-offs, has been the form of loan signing Danny Dichio from West Brom.

Dichio has hit five goals in three games and Millwall are optimistic about completing a £500,000 (€736,100) transfer this week, but Dichio will not feature against Telford because his loan has expired.

Nevertheless, Cahill insists the transformation at the New Den has been as much down to the management of Wise and assistant boss Ray Wilkins, who won the trophy in 1983 with Manchester United.

The Australian midfielder said: “They’ve changed everything around. There’s a lot more football being played and the right atmosphere,” he told the official club website, www.millwallfc.co.uk.

Millwall’s preparations were overshadowed this week by an alleged incident involving youngster Moses Ashikodi and team-mate Mark McCammon.

Teenager Ashikodi has been suspended pending a full investigation by the club.

But Millwall have refused to comment in the meantime, and neither player was likely to have featured against Telford.

Willy Gueret will get a rare start in goal because Tony Warner is out with a neck injury and on-loan keeper Andy Marshall did not sign in time to play in the fourth round.

Cahill is available after serving a suspension which would have ruled him out if the tie had been played as planned on January 24.

Midfielder David Livermore is an injury doubt with a minor knock to the leg but is expected to be fit.

Striker Neil Harris is fully recovered after a recent bout of flu.