It was the city of Hull where Millwall’s dreams of the top flight last came true all the way back in 1988. Kevin O’Callaghan’s penalty at the old Boothferry Park a mile across town was enough to ensure a 1-0 victory and promotion to the First Division. So with Hull the opponents again and the stakes at their highest, this felt like something of an omen.
But in the end, the events in East Yorkshire this time around nearly 40 years on from one of their greatest triumphs will ultimately be consigned to a footnote in this tie. All the drama and the headlines will instead unfold in south London on Monday evening after a first leg that was littered with tension, but shy of genuine moments that could decide the promotion fortunes of these teams.
Not that Millwall will mind that at all. They head back down the M1 with a valuable draw and their Premier League dreams still very much alive after navigating a tricky and boisterous evening in Hull. Chances were few and far between on the opening night of the EFL playoffs, but a goalless draw probably felt just about right as tension and low-risk football took control.
It felt like an evening where almost all the playoff cliches you can muster felt appropriate. Take it to the second leg with the tie still alive, and so on and so forth. Even Hull will be content, given they have won at Millwall once this season and would themselves have wanted to not be behind at half-time in the tie.
