Millwall 1 Cardiff 1: Sol Bamba goal disallowed as Lee Gregory strike cancels out Junior Hoilett’s early stunner
Friday night Championship clash ends in stalemate with neither side able to find a winner at The Den
Sponsored by
SOL BAMBA had a late goal controversially chalked off as Cardiff's promotion push hit the Wall.
The Bluebirds had gone in front thanks to Junior Hoilett's early stunner which was cancelled out by a fine finish from Lee Gregory.
But defender Bamba thought he had stolen the points late on when he hooked in - only for play to be brought back for a foul by ref Keith Stroud.
Tim Cahill was named in the squad for the first time since his shock signing last month and made an appearance in the final minute.
The hosts were stunned just three minutes in when Hoilett broke the deadlock with a thunderbolt.
Having dispossessed Mahlon Romeo, who had been booked minutes earlier for hacking Hoilett down, the Bluebirds winger cut in inside and let fly from 25 yards.
It gave Wall keeper Jordan Archer no chance as it nestled in the bottom corner for Hoilett’s tenth of the campaign - his best-yet seasonal haul.
Cardiff were dominating with the hold-up play of £6million deadline-day signing Gary Madine too hot for Millwall to handle.
Yet on 23 minutes Neil Harris’ men were almost level as Ben Marshall, one of the Lions’ own incomings on January 31, swung in a fabulous cross than Steve Morison took down with one touch and crashed the bar with another.
That got the home crowd going, as did the appearance of Cahill warming up along the touchline minutes later.
Hoilett fired over from distance as he attempted another audacious effort while Morison could only turn George Saville’s cross straight at Neil Etheridge.
Madine then took an almighty whack going up for a challenge with Jake Cooper which left the ex-Bolton man with blood streaming from his nose.
He had to receive lengthy treatment and change his shirt, leaving him with a numberless fluorescent green top that made him look like a jogger wearing high-vis on a late night run.
Shortly before the break Gregory almost found the far post with a snapshot from 25 yards which left Etheridge breathing a sigh of relief.
There was nothing the Philippines keeper could do to prevent the Sheffield-born striker from restoring parity a minute later though.
Most Read In Sport
A neat move down the right saw Morison feed Jed Wallace, whose low cross was struck first time by Gregory 12 yards out and crashed into the net.
The hosts cranked up the pressure after the interval with a Marshall shot taking a wicked deflection and forcing Etheridge to tip away.
Just before the hour, the Wallace-Gregory routine almost paid off again as the former crossed in for latter, but Gregory had jumped too early and could only flick his header over.
Wallace almost found the corner with a strike soon after but somehow Etheridge managed to get a hand to it before snaffling the ball at the second attempt.
There was late drama when Sol Bamba hooked in from close range - but Stroud had already given a foul for Morison’s robust challenge on Joe Bennett on the edge of the area.
The decision enraged Neil Warnock and the visitors, who had a header cleared off the line by George Saville at the death.