1988–89 Millwall F.C. season
Millwall 1988–89 football season
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During the 1988–89 English football season, Millwall Football Club competed in the Football League First Division. This was Millwall's 62nd season in the Football League, and first ever season in the top tier of English football, after achieving promotion from the Second Division as Champions in 1987–88.
| 1988–89 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Reg Burr |
| Manager |  John Docherty |
| Stadium | The Den |
| First Division | 10th |
| FA Cup | Fourth round |
| League Cup | Third round |
| Full Members' Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Tony Cascarino (13) All: Teddy Sheringham (15) Tony Cascarino (15) |
| Highest home attendance | 22,103 (vs. Liverpool) |
| Lowest home attendance | 11,394 (vs. Middlesbrough) |
| Average home league attendance | 15,468 |
Season summary
Millwall had won promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history as Second Division champions at the end of the 1987–88 season, and were among the pre-season favourites for relegation, but defied the odds and were top of the First Division by the beginning of October, having won four of their first six league games. By Christmas, they were still an impressive fifth in the league, but finished 10th at the end of the season after failing to win any of their final 10 games. Their final position in the table was their lowest standing of the season.
Rare low points of the season included being defeated by arch-rivals West Ham United twice during the season, although Millwall still outperformed their local rivals for the first time in decades, as the Hammers were relegated in 19th place.
Millwall finished one place above Manchester United, one of the pre-season title favourites, managing to hold United to a goalless draw at The Den, and spent much of the season in a higher position than other teams who failed to emerge as title contenders after being among the pre-season favourites, including Everton and Tottenham Hotspur – who both eventually finished above Millwall.
Millwall's high placing owed much to the strike partnership of Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino.
In his autobiography, Sheringham said of the season, "It was a crazy exhilarating time. There we were, little Millwall, in our first season in the First Division and topping the table until about March. Everybody said it couldn't last and of course it couldn't and it didn't, but we gave them all a good run for their money. We were beating the best teams when we shouldn't and getting away draws to which we had no right."
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Everton | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 54 |
| 9 | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 53 |
| 10 | Millwall | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 47 | 52 | −5 | 53 |
| 11 | Manchester United | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 51 |
| 12 | Wimbledon | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 51 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Transfers
In
Out
Results
First Division
| 27 August 1988 1 | Aston Villa FC | 2–2 | Millwall FC |
| 3 September 1988 2 | Millwall FC | 1–0 | Derby County FC |
| 10 September 1988 3 | Charlton Athletic FC | 0–3 | Millwall FC |
| 17 September 1988 4 | Millwall FC | 2–1 | Everton FC |
| 24 September 1988 5 | Norwich City FC | 2–2 | Millwall FC |
| 1 October 1988 6 | Millwall FC | 3–2 | Queens Park Rangers FC |
| 15 October 1988 7 | Coventry City FC | 0–0 | Millwall FC |
| 22 October 1988 8 | Millwall FC | 2–2 | Nottingham Forest FC |
| 29 October 1988 9 | Middlesbrough FC | 4–2 | Millwall FC |
| 5 November 1988 10 | Millwall FC | 3–1 | Luton Town FC |
| 12 November 1988 11 | Liverpool FC | 1–1 | Millwall FC |
| 19 November 1988 12 | Millwall FC | 4–0 | Newcastle United FC |
| 26 November 1988 13 | Southampton FC | 2–2 | Millwall FC |
| 3 December 1988 14 | Millwall FC | 0–1 | West Ham United FC |
| 10 December 1988 15 | Tottenham FC | 2–0 | Millwall FC |
| 17 December 1988 16 | Millwall FC | 1–0 | Sheffield Wednesday FC |
| 26 December 1988 17 | Wimbledon FC | 1–0 | Millwall FC |
| 31 December 1988 18 | Derby County FC | 0–1 | Millwall FC |
| 2 January 1989 19 | Millwall FC | 1–0 | Charlton Athletic FC |
| 14 January 1989 20 | Manchester United FC | 3–0 | Millwall FC |
| 22 January 1989 21 | Millwall FC | 2–3 | Norwich City FC |
| 4 February 1989 22 | Queens Park Rangers FC | 1–2 | Millwall FC |
| 11 February 1989 23 | Millwall FC | 1–2 | Arsenal FC |
| 21 February 1989 24 | Millwall FC | 2–0 | Middlesbrough FC |
| 25 February 1989 25 | Millwall FC | 1–0 | Coventry City FC |
| 28 February 1989 26 | Arsenal FC | 0–0 | Millwall FC |
| 11 March 1989 27 | Luton Town FC | 1–2 | Millwall FC |
| 18 March 1989 28 | Millwall FC | 2–0 | Aston Villa FC |
| 25 March 1989 29 | Everton FC | 1–1 | Millwall FC |
| 27 March 1989 30 | Millwall FC | 0–1 | Wimbledon FC |
| 1 April 1989 31 | Sheffield Wednesday FC | 3–0 | Millwall FC |
| 8 April 1989 32 | Millwall FC | 0–0 | Manchester United FC |
| 11 April 1989 33 | Millwall FC | 1–2 | Liverpool FC |
| 22 April 1989 34 | West Ham United FC | 3–0 | Millwall FC |
| 29 April 1989 35 | Millwall FC | 0–5 | Tottenham FC |
| 3 May 1989 36 | Nottingham Forest FC | 4–1 | Millwall FC |
| 6 May 1989 37 | Newcastle United FC | 1–1 | Millwall FC |
| 13 May 1989 38 | Millwall FC | 1–1 | Southampton FC |
FA Cup
| 7 January 1989 Round 3 | Millwall FC | 3–2 | Luton Town FC |
| 29 January 1989 Round 4 | Millwall FC | 0–2 | Liverpool FC |
League Cup
| 27 September 1988 Round 2 | Millwall FC | 3–0 | Gillingham FC |
| 11 October 1988 Round 2 | Gillingham FC | 1–3 | Millwall FC |
| 2 November 1988 Round 3 | Aston Villa FC | 3–1 | Millwall FC |
Simod Cup
| 29 November 1988 | Millwall FC | 2–0 | Leeds United FC |
| 20 December 1988 | Everton FC | 2–0 | Millwall FC |