Lee Gregory earns manager praise for brace as Millwall beat Walsall

Millwall manager Neil Harris praised two-goal striker Lee Gregory after he scored two of the three second-half goals that sank promotion rivals Walsall 3-0 at the Banks's Stadium.

Walsall's hopes of taking over at the top of League One were shattered by a brace from Lions top-scorer Gregory and a stunner from young debutant right-back Mahlon Romeo.

Harris said: "Lee showed his quality today, in and around the penalty area, for sure."

And Harris had a special word for young right-back Romeo, adding: "He scored one of the goals of the season for us after a tough first 25 minutes against a good player and he had a harsh decision when he was shown a yellow card for a tackle, so he had to stand strong."

Walsall were beaten for the first time in six league games, but have taken only one point from the last three at home, and the closest they came to scoring was when Anthony Forde hit the bar in the first half and Rico Henry struck a post at the start of the second half.

Hit by injuries, the Saddlers had to give 21-year-old keeper Liam Roberts - their third-choice keeper - his debut, and he made three good saves in the first half, but could not keep out Millwall in the second.

Gregory struck first from a Jed Wallace cross after 61 minutes, Romeo burst through to drill home a low shot after 70 minutes and Gregory burst through to notch his third with 12 minutes remaining.

Harris agreed the result was a nice consolation after missing out on a Wembley final in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy despite winning at Oxford United in midweek.

He said: "We didn't quite get the job done but we went to a top Oxford side and won the game, and we have been very good away from home this season and won 11 times."

The result leaves the away side in the play-offs and - asked about Millwall's promotion prospects after this win - Lions boss Harris said: "We are not thinking that far ahead, but we are capable of competing with the best sides in this league. We have shown that on numerous occasions."

Disappointed Walsall head coach Sean O'Driscoll said: "We controlled it until the first goal.

"We needed a bit of luck when we were on top, but we kept plugging away and there were positives. We were guilty of being naive at one-nil down and got caught twice on counter-attacks.

"We could have been three nil up at half-time and nobody could have complained. We have to keep things in perspective - we are still on the right track."