Millwall 1 -0 Derby County: Josh Coburn scores Lions winner

Striker Josh Coburn scored the winner for Millwall as they beat Derby County at The Den to strengthen their automatic promotion bid.

Coburn bagged his sixth goal in 13 games to lift the third-placed Lions to just a point behind second-placed Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Derby wasted chances to earn at least a point and, although they remain seventh, they have lost four of their past seven league games.

The visitors went close to equalising in stoppage time when Patrick Agyemang’s shot came off the far post.

Boss Alex Neil deserves huge credit for the job he is doing at Millwall on modest resources and he has Lions fans dreaming of a first return to the top flight since 1990.

Derby deserved better and they threatened first, with Femi Azeez clearing Agyemang’s header from Joe Ward’s corner off the line.

Millwall took charge and Mihailo Ivanovic saw a free-kick deflected wide before Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers pushed Zak Sturge’s header away.

Coburn then headed an Azeez cross well over, but made amends on 43 minutes when he scored at the back post with a glancing header from Tristan Crama’s hooked ball after Agyemang failed to clear Barry Bannan’s free-kick.

Derby improved and Lewis Travers fired wide from 20 yards before Ivanovic directed a header straight at Vickers at the other end.

Agyemang, Sam Szmodics and Carlton Morris squandered glorious chances for Derby in the final quarter of the match.

Agyemang beat Crama, only to pull his left-foot shot horribly wide, before Szmodics fired across goal from a great position on the right, and Morris missed the target with a header.

Then Agyemang shot against the post in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Millwall held on for a massive win.