Millwall 3 Shrewsbury 1 - Report and pictures

Larnell Cole gave Micky Mellon's side a fifth-minute lead and Town were easily the best side in the first-half, but it was a different story after the break.

Millwall dominated and were rewarded with goals from Ben Thompson (57) and Steve Morison (61) before Lee Gregory's 90th-minute penalty, after goalkeeper Mark Halstead had been sent off for bringing him down.

Halstead became the third Town player to see red in as many games, after Nathaniel Knight-Percival and Zak Whitbread, while the penalty conceded was their 11th of the season.

Town weren't the same team, after losing Ian Black to what appeared to be an eye injury in first-half injury time.

Town boss Mellon made five changes from the side beaten 5-1 by Wigan last week, as Millwall celebrated their annual 'Dockers Day.'

There was a first start of the season for Mickey Demetriou as Mat Sadler, Jack Hendry, Dom Smith and Black replaced Zak Whitbread, Jermaine Grandison, Junior Brown, Richie Wellens and Shaun Whalley.

Hendry was making his debut after his loan move from Wigan, as Whitbread is suspended after being sent off against the Latics.

Brown is out for the season after being ruled out with knee ligament damage and Grandison failed to make the 18, after undergoing surgery.

Millwall (4-4-2): Archer; Romeo, Webster, Beevers, Martin (O'Brien HT); Taylor, Williams, Thompson, Ferguson; Morison, Gregory (Upson 90+2).

Subs not used: Onyedinma, Nelson, Abdou, Philpot, Forde (gk).

Shrewsbury Town (3-5-2): Halstead; Smith, Hendry, Sadler (Mangan 64); Grimmer, Cole, Ogogo, Black (Wellens 45+1), Demetriou; Vassell (Akpa Akpro 64), Kaikai.

Subs not used: Whalley, Wesolowski, Clark, Leutwiler (gk).

Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex).

Whalley and Wellens - who came on to make the 600th League appearance of his career - dropped to the bench, .

There was a first appearance since September for fit-again James Wesolowski, after he came through 90 minutes in the Shropshire Senior Cup on Tuesday with no reaction after recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament.

Towm started very well and created chances even before they took the lead.

The first half chance saw Kyle Vassell slash the ball well over from 25 yards, after three minutes before Demetriou volleyed off target from Jack Grimmer's searching cross.

Then they took the lead, Sullay Kaikai brilliantly splitting the defence to send Cole clean through with time and space and he drew goalkeeper Jordan Archer, before coolly sidefooting home for his third goal for the club.

Town continued to boss the game, but Millwall started to come into it more and they forced the first serious save after 20 minutes.

Mark Beevers climbed above Jack Hendry at the far post for a downwards header tipped wide by Mark Halstead, although it appeared to be going just wide.

Six minutes later, Byron Webster lashed a rising shot on the turn well over after Sadler headed away Shane Ferguson's free kick.

But Town returned to the attack and on 29, Demetriou stabbed wide after winning the header from Kaikai's free kick.

Millwall captain Steve Morison was the first player to be booked for catching Black late and high in the Town half on 31.

Town continued to play the better football but Millwall were a danger from set-pieces, while they were wasteful from long range.

One example of that came in the 34th minute when Chris Taylor cut inside from the right and let fly, but his shot was high and wide.

Black was caught in the face by Ferguson's cross for a corner on 35 which later seemed to affect his vision and he was forced off 10 minutes later, to be replaced by Wellens for what was the latter's 600th league appearance.

Five minutes before the break, Millwall had another half chance but Morison's flick-up and volley from just outside the box dipped but flew well wide.

Hendry was booked for a cynical foul on Morison 25 yards out, but Ferguson's curling free kick hit the defensive wall.

Town returned to the attack and the ball reached Grimmer in space but his 20-yard drive bounced well wide.

Then Vassell beat Wellens to the ball to tee himself up for a half volley from 20 yards but it landed a foot wide.

Right at the end of the five minutes added on, Halstead produced a superb flying save to tip away Shaun Williams's header from Ferguson's free kick.

Millwall made a half-time substitution when Aiden O'Brien came on for Joe Martin off in a move which saw Ferguson drop to left back.

But, if Town were the better side in the first half, it was a different story after the break.

Millwall looked to attack at every opportunity with their threat coming almost exclusively from corners.

From one flag kick, they won it in the air from Taylor's outswinger at the far post but no one could pounce when it dropped and Halstead smothered.

Town broke for the first time this half on 52, but Abu Ogogo sliced well wide first time after Vassell laid it back into his path.

Two minutes later, Shaun Williams hooked well over under pressure after some outrageous skill on the touchline by Chris Taylor, who passed inside.

Millwall got the goal they had been building up to when Thompson picked up a loose ball, after Demetriou headed away a corner and lashed a rising 25-yarder into the roof of the net.

Soon it was 2-1 to the Lions, when Morison rose above Sadler to glance Taylor's out-swinging corner into the far corner of the net.

Town made a double substitution in the 64th minute to try to get back into the game when Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro came on for Vassell and Andy Mangan replaced Sadler.

But it made little difference apart from make the game more open, as Millwall continued to look the more threatening side.

From the second of two more corners for Millwall, Byron Webster headed powerfully over.

On 67, Thompson surged down the left and crossed for Gregory, who got between Hendry and Smith but glanced well wide.

Then Halstead smothered Gregory's low shot after he ran in from the left on 73, hotly pursued by Wellens, who had given the ball away.

Millwall fans howled for a penalty on 77 when Romeo went down under challenge from Demetriou in the box, but the referee was having none of it.

Town could have equalised against the run of play on 80 when Mangan got clear but he delayed his shot and a defender got a foot in and it bounced to Archer.

Shrewsbury could have won a penalty on 87 when Webster appeared to impede Akpa Akpro, as he attempted to follow the ball inside. The Town fans screamed for the spot kick, but the referee said no.

But there was no mistaking the one Tim Robinson awarded in the 90th minute, when Halstead brought down clean-through Gregory.

The goalkeeper was sent off, so Demetriou donned the gloves and guessed right, diving to his left, but Gregory side-footed it low to the corner of the net to complete a miserable afternoon for Town.