Millwall's Double Blow as Key Defender Faces Ban
Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton have received a significant boost ahead of their respective trips to The Den after Millwall confirmed they will be without defender Joe Bryan for both fixtures. The experienced full-back received a straight red card during Millwall's 3-1 defeat against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, leaving manager Alex Neil with a defensive crisis.
Portsmouth Defeat Sees Millwall Drop Points
The London club's disappointing trip to the south coast on Saturday saw them slip to seventh position in the Championship table after 16 matches. Zak Swanson opened the scoring for Portsmouth with a long-range strike before a Tristan Crama own goal doubled the home side's advantage in the second half. Although Mihailo Ivanovic gave Millwall hope with a 72nd-minute finish from a corner, Jordan Williams sealed the victory for Pompey with a late third goal.
Bryan's Marching Orders and Injury Worries
The match turned decisively against Millwall in the 67th minute when Joe Bryan was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Callum Lang. The dismissal marked the first red card of Bryan's professional career, spanning an impressive 450 appearances. Compounding Millwall's problems, Bryan had only entered the match in the 38th minute as a replacement for the injured Zak Sturge, who was stretchered off with a serious-looking head injury after being struck in the face by a Terry Devlin cross from close range.
Bryan's suspension comes at a particularly inconvenient time for Millwall, with the former Fulham defender having established himself as a key figure in recent months. Since recovering from an early-season injury, the 2023 signing had featured in nine of Millwall's previous thirteen league matches, earning back-to-back EFL Team of the Week selections earlier this year.
Manager Alex Neil had previously praised the defender's contributions, stating: "Joe's performing very well just now. His use of the ball is excellent, his reading of the game is good, he's mobile, aerially he's underestimated as well. People try to kick to him and he's very, very dominant there."
With Sturge also likely to miss the upcoming matches after being taken to hospital for assessment, Millwall face a defensive reshuffle for their crucial midweek encounter against Sheffield Wednesday, followed by Southampton's visit next weekend. The absence of two left-back options presents a significant challenge for Neil as his team looks to maintain their position in the Championship's upper reaches.
