Millwall Community Trust’s Lions Food Hub Ambassador Shaun Hutchinson's stoppage time winner started 2024 in the perfect way on New Year’s Day as Millwall beat Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate.
The defender's shot on the turn three minutes into five allowed sparked wild celebrations in the away end and made it three victories on the bounce for The Lions.
Head Coach Joe Edwards made two changes to his starting XI for the trip, one enforced, as Billy Mitchell replaced the suspended George Saville and Duncan Watmore came in for Aidomo Emakhu, who dropped to the substitute's bench.
The opening stages were cagey in BS3, with neither side penetrating each other's penalty area - The Robins did have the first half-chance of the game with 10 minutes played, but Jason Knight headed over from a corner-kick.
Seven minutes later, The Lions had Matija Sarkic to thank as Knight once again rose highest inside the box, with the stopper sprawling to his left-hand side to parry the ball away from danger. At the halfway point of the half, Tom Bradshaw looked to punish some slack City defending, but the striker was just about unable to gather the ball cleanly under his control; his left-footed attempt being blocked.
With no further clear strikes on goal for the remainder of the half, the two teams went in goalless at the break.
The Lions broke away through Flemming early in the second-half, but with Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Watmore sprinting to be involved on either flank, the Dutchman's pass was behind the former and mopped up by the Bristol City defence.
Ryan Leonard's shot then had to be deflected behind as Millwall looked to open the scoring, with a George Honeyman cross then nodded just wide by Murray Wallace in another Lions attempt.
Millwall were beginning to find pockets of space in behind the City defence just before the hour-mark, but a mistake in The Lions' backline was to almost cost them their clean sheet on 65 minutes - a clutch of defenders, meanwhile, were able to shepherd Tommy Conway away from goal.
Flemming's goal-bound header was blocked by a Bristol leg after Emakhu - on as a substitute for Watmore - saw his shot deflected behind, whilst Mitchell's deep ball into the box was headed into the grasp of Max O'Leary by substitute Kevin Nisbet.
However, just when it appeared that The Lions would take a point back along the M4, Hutchinson swivel and strike into the bottom corner secured the points three minutes into stoppage-time, sparking delirium in the away end.
