Millwall will feel aggrieved by the officiating in a goalless London derby of little quality at The Den.

On a night that three points would’ve seen the Lions creep further away to safety they will be looking at referee John Brooks’ decision not to show Joel Lynch a first half red card as a key point in the game.

With little in terms of goalmouth action the referee’s performance overshadowed what was a fiercely anticipated fixture with both sides looking to avoid the drop.

An first minute challenge from Luke Freeman on Ryan Tunnicliffe set the tone as Brooks was given a reminder he’d be in for a tough night,

The Hoops started brightly but should’ve been a man down after quarter an hour as Gregory was clumsily brought to the ground by Joe Lynch when through on goal after a long ball.

Brooks seemingly the only man in the ground not to see the challenge which left the home support irate, and rightly so.

Neither side got a foothold in the opening half with Alex Pearce and Matt Smith trading goalward headers from corners the only real effort of note for both sides:- largely due to middle-man Brooks’ whistle blowing.

The second half started swiftly with Jake Cooper and Pearce drawing goal line clearances within the first ten minutes.

On 73 minutes the game saw its first real chance at goal and it fell to substitute Bright Osayi-Samuel. Out-pacing Pearce to a deflected through ball, the forward failed to beat Dave Martin who stood tall.

The warning sparked the game, and Neil Harris, into life as he soon introduced O’Brien from the bench.

The Irishman failed to conjure any life into a game that was destined to finish goalless.

A point could prove vital for both sides with results around going their way, although Millwall will feel hard done by in what looked a certain foul in the opening quarter.

Key moment:

Joel Lynch failed to fool any fan within the ground but managed to fool the only person that mattered when he felled Lee Gregory when through on goal on 15 minutes. A certain red card would’ve changed the complexion of the game and possibly the survival race. Noit John Brooks’ finest hour.

Man of the match:

Alex Pearce - possibly Millwall's best player in both defence and attack. Dealt well with Wells for an hour, although substitute Osayi-Samuel highlighted the skippers lack of pace. That said he handled the physical Matt Smith well and was a nuisance in the opposite box.

Teams:

Millwal; Martin, Meredith, Cooper, Pearce, Romeo, Tunnicliffe(Morison 83’), Leonard, Thompson, Marshall (O’Brien 77’), Wallace, Gregory

QPR: Lumley, Furlong, Cameron, Leistner, Lynch, Manning, Luongo, Freeman, Scowen, Wells (Osayi-Samuel 60’), Smith