Freddie Ladapo was on target as the Blues drew 1-1 with Millwall at the Den. Benik Afobe gave the Lions the lead in the 16th minute but Town were much the better side in the second half and Ladapo scored the equaliser on 54 with the Blues having chances to win it in the latter stages.
Marcus Harness was handed his first appearance for the Blues as one of the number 10s behind striker Ladapo to the left of Conor Chaplin in a team probably not far off the XI which will start against Bolton Wanderers in next Saturday’s opening League One match at Portman Road.
Janoi Donacien, Luke Woolfenden and George Edmundson were the back three with Wes Burns and Matt Penney the wing-backs. Greg Leigh was not in the squad, suggesting the former Morecambe man may have picked up a knock.
Skipper Sam Morsy and Lee Evans were the central midfield pairing with Dominic Ball also absent, while Kyle Edwards is back in the squad having missed the last couple of friendlies with a niggle.
Christian Walton was in goal for the Blues with former Town goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski between the sticks for Millwall.
The game got off to an evenly-balanced start with both sides giving the ball away more than they would have wanted, but as the 10-minute mark approached the home side began to threaten, Zian Flemming shooting over on nine.
And in the 16th minute the Lions took the lead. Woolfenden was caught in possession playing it out from the back on the edge of the box to the right Afobe brought the ball in on goal before shooting confidently past Walton.
It was a poor goal for Town to concede and not the first during pre-season to come as a result of the Blues being dispossessed as they played it out from the back.
Town, wearing their black and red away kit for the first time, threatened for the first time in the 24th minute, Donacien whipping a cross in from deep on the right and Ladapo flicking a header well wide of Bialkowski’s right post.
Three minutes later, following a drinks break, Town broke forward having picked up a loose pass on halfway and the former Rotherham man hit a low shot to Bialkowski’s right which the Polish keeper claimed with little fanfare.
As the half hour approached, the Blues began to see most of the ball but without creating any opportunities or testing Bialkowski.
On 38 Burns shot against a defender after a looping Evans cross from the right had fallen to him in the area, then Penney screwed the loose ball well into the empty stand behind the goal.
A minute later, Woolfenden got a toe in ahead of George Honeyman as a cross came in from the left after Millwall’s pressing had led to the Blues lose possession not far outside their own area.
In the 44th minute, the Blues worked the ball well on the left and Chaplin hit a low shot across the face of goal from a tight angle.
That was the last action of a half in which the Blues had seen a lot of the ball and had played some neat and tidy football at times but without being able carve out any serious opportunities.
At the other end, the goal came from perhaps a little over-confidence from Woolfenden and other than that Walton had had as quiet an afternoon as Bialkowski.
New boy Harness had often dropped deep to pick up the ball and had shown one or two neat touches but without finding a pass which might open up the Millwall defence.
Millwall began the second half on the front foot as Town started sloppily, a free-kick from midway almost falling for Afobe before running away from the former Wolves striker.
On 50 a Blues counter-attack ended with a Morsy shot deflecting through to Bialkowski, Harness having squared the ball to his skipper 10 yards outside the box.
Four minutes later, the Blues levelled. Walton threw the ball out to Harness down the left and the new signing fed Morsy inside. The captain overhit his first touch but won the battle for the loose ball with Ryan Leonard and his challenge played in Ladapo, who confidently found the corner of the net to Bialkowski’s left to claim his second goal of pre-season.
"After the slow start to the second half the Blues were looking sharper and were well on top of the Championship side as the game reached the hour mark and Ladapo wasn’t far away from a second when he hit a shot on the turn from Penney’s left-sided cross which a defender blocked.
From the resultant corner, Chaplin played the ball back in from the right and Harness wafted an effort across the face and not too far wide.
Both sides made changes in the 64th minute with Ladapo, Harness, Chaplin and Penney replaced by Kayden Jackson, Tyreece John-Jules, Sone Aluko and Kane Vincent-Young. Millwall swapped Afobe for Tom Bradshaw, Honeyman for George Evans, Jamie Shackleton for George Saville, Jake Cooper, for Charlie Cresswell, Murray Wallace for Danny McNamara, and Billy Mitchell for Mason Bennett.
Jackson immediately had an impact, using his pace to beat a Millwall defender to the ball midway inside the Lions’ half before taking it on down the left and crossing low to Morsy, who scuffed well wide from a good position inside the area. The skipper’s frustration that he hadn’t made a clean touch was very evident.
Town continued to control the game with the tempo of their passing having increased during the second half, as had their threat, as was the case at AFC Wimbledon last week. The Millwall fans’ frustration with their side’s performance was being made clear.
The Blues made another three changes on 82, Edwards, Cameron Burgess and Rekeem Harper replacing Burns, Evans and Edmundson, while the Lions replaced
Edwards created a chance within seconds of coming on, standing up a cross from the byline on the right which reached Aluko, whose volley was deflected out for a corner. Following the corner, John-Jules saw an effort from a tight angle blocked.
Morsy forced Bialkowski into his most significant save of the afternoon on 85, the Blues skipper hitting a shot which the former Town man was forced to palm over his bar.
Bialkowski had to save again a minute later, John-Jules having turned a subsequent corner towards goal with a defender also appearing to get a touch before the keeper clawed it off his line.
On 88 Aluko came within a couple of inches of a brilliant winner for Town, the forward exchanging passes with John-Jules before smashing a 25-yard strike. The effort beat Bialkowski but struck the underside of the bar and fell kindly for the keeper, who gratefully clasped hold of the ball.
That was the last action of an entertaining friendly from which Blues fans will have left the happier of the two sets of fans.
The Championship side were hanging on at the end with Aluko very unlucky not to score with his excellent strike, Morsy having come close twice and John-Jules once.
As at Wimbledon last week, the Blues stepped up their performance in the second half and would have deserved a victory on the balance of the game overall. All in all a heartening display from Kieran McKenna’s men so close to the big kick-off.
Town are next in action in their final pre-season friendly at home to National League Southend United on Tuesday.
Millwall: Bialkowski, Wallace (McNamara 64), Hutchinson, Cooper (Cresswell 64), Afobe (Bradshaw 64), B Mitchell (Bennett 64), Flemming (Burey 82), Malone (Topalloj 82), Shackleton (Saville 64), Leonard, Honeyman (Evans 64). Subs: Long.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson (Burgess 82), Burns (Edwards 82), Evans (Harper 82), Morsy, Penney (Vincent-Young 64), Chaplin (Aluko 64), Harness (John-Jules 64), Ladapo (Jackson 64). Hladky, Burgess, Ndaba, El Mizouni, Harper, Humphreys, Edwards. Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey). Att: 2,430 (Town: 507).