Town boss Joe Royle felt his side were unlucky to be defeated 3-1 at Millwall. The Blues' manager was also convinced his side should have had a first half penalty when Tommy Miller was fouled inside the box.

Royle was particularly impressed with his side's display in the first 45 minutes: "We were outstanding in the first half and to go in 1-0 down was a big blow. We're no strangers to going behind, so I was confident we would come back into it.

"But the second goal was the killer because it meant we had to chase the game. I felt we were unlucky to be on the wrong end of this score.

"We should have had a penalty when Tommy went down in the box. I'm not blaming the referee, he was outstanding throughout the game but I felt the linesman should have been stronger.

"I always felt we would get back in the game in the second half but the second goal changed the match. It meant we had to change things around and chase the game.

"That said, we could have been level at 2-2. Shefki missed with a great chance just after he had scored.

"Their third goal came on the break and you are always likely to get caught out when you are throwing players forward."

Midfielder Tommy Miller told the club site he ought to have had the chance to put the Blues ahead from the penalty spot in the first half: "It was definitely a penalty. The lad clipped me. I had no reason to go down because I was through for a shot at goal. He caught me on the ankle and I know there was contact.”

Royle confirmed that the Blues picked up no new injuries during the game and that skipper Jim Magilton had been rested due to the volume of fixtures over the Christmas period.

Millwall assistant boss Ray Wilkins was particularly pleased with his side's win: "It's a fantastic victory for us. It was a very important result for us because it pulls us closer to them in the table and we proved that we can compete with the top sides."

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