Harris wants derby clash with Hammers in fourth round

Posted Monday, January 07, 2019 by PA

Millwall boss Neil Harris is dreaming of a tie against West Ham in the FA Cup fourth round after edging past Hull 2-1.

Harris’ men came from behind in the final 10 minutes thanks to a pair of Shane Ferguson stunners after Jon Toral’s opener.

On 82 minutes, the Northern Ireland international took a short corner, got the ball back and curled a sumptuous finish into the top corner before floating a glorious free-kick past Hull stopper George Long three minutes later – a double that Harris hopes will give the 27-year-old confidence.

“They were class goals,” said Harris. “It’s what you expect from an international footballer. He has got the ability to do that.

“The belief hasn’t always been there with Shane but the run of games he has had and the form he has been in has been outstanding and those two goals were befitting of winning any game.

“His confidence should be sky-high, the team’s confidence should be sky-high as well. We are finding a way to win football matches.

“I think you saw the belief in the group – even when we were behind again – to come back and win the game.”

And with the third-round prize money in the bank, Harris wants a rip-roaring London derby against West Ham.

“The TV money, the prize money, that’s important for us trying to sign a player in the transfer window,” he added.

“I wanted to be competitive, I wanted to win at home and now I want to draw West Ham in the next round!”

In-form Hull made plenty of changes from their recent league successes but Toral’s classy 52nd-minute strike looked to have sent them through until Ferguson’s late show.

“We knew it was going to be difficult coming here,” said Hull boss Nigel Adkins. “We knew the threat was going to be set-pieces but we didn’t expect to get done by a short one.

“Ferguson has scored two excellent finishes. It’s a shame – the short corner and then an excellent free-kick – and it’s frustrating because we made some changes.

“It was good to see some of the younger players making their debuts, it’s good experience for them.

“Robbie McKenzie, playing centre-half, it was a right battle for him. The direct nature of those long balls into [Tom] Elliott is a different type of game than he’s been used to.

“I’m pleased that will help his development and David Milinkovic playing 90 minutes of football is important for him.

“We could’ve won the game – we put ourselves in a position to go and win it, unfortunately two really good finishes have given Millwall the victory.”