Very talented Mr Ripley!

RYAN MCLAUGHLIN . . . offered a threat on the right-hand side

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TO SAVE one penalty is human.

To do it twice - in the final five minutes? Connor Ripley entered Athletic folklore when he went right and then left to leave Millwall striker Lee Gregory distraught.

"I looked over to Carlo Nash," said Ripley, referring to his goalkeeping coach. "We do our research on penalty-takers and I knew where he was going for the first one.

"The second one was down to me. I don't think I've ever got up as quickly in my life.

HIGH DRAMA

"The adrenaline was pumping through my veins. It was a great feeling."

The high drama, in the 90th and then in the fifth minute of injury time, helped Athletic to a point which edges the team another incremental step away from Port Vale in the division's bottom four.

First, after Chris Taylor had tripped Gregory in the box, Ripley went the right way to clutch a weak penalty from a player who hit 25 goals last season.

Then, five minutes later after Michael Ngoo had inexplicably stuck an arm out while defending in the wall from a Shane Ferguson free-kick, the on-loan Middlesbrough man leapt the other way to palm out quite superbly, springing to his feet to then catch the follow-up header as the final whistle blew.

It was the second time in his career the 24-year-old had achieved such a feat. The first was five years ago when current Boro man Patrick Bamford, then with Nottingham Forest, suffered the ignominy of having a pair of spot-kicks repelled by Ripley.

But this 14th clean sheet of an outstanding season personally wasn't solely down to the goalkeeper.

"It's not just me keeping the clean sheets, it's the whole team," Ripley said himself afterwards, following a game which saw Brian Wilson stand out in defence and centre-back partner Peter Clarke clear off the line in the 64th minute.

On a pitch battered by the elements - ground staff deserve credit for getting the game on despite the heavy rainfall in the build-up - Athletic dug in and dictated play for most of the game against Neil Harris's FA Cup quarter-finalists.

Tope Obadeyi twice went close in the second half and Ollie Banks forced Tom King into a low save as John Sheridan's side got a stranglehold on the contest on a surface which made slick football almost impossible.

Clear-cut chances were at a premium - Fred Onyedinma's was the best, penalties apart - and though frustrated at the way his side fractured in the latter stages to allow Millwall to press for a winning goal, Sheridan was left reflecting once again on his team's strong will not to be beaten.

Athletic made two changes to the side that drew 0-0 at Swindon a week earlier. Out went right-back Josh Law, with Ryan McLaughlin dropping back, while Obadeyi got a start up front with Ousmane Fane dropping to the bench.

The pitch, which had been subject to an 11am inspection on the day of the game by referee Carl Boyeson, drained before kick-off to leave a heavy, brown but playable surface by 3pm.

Athletic edged the opening 45 minutes without truly threatening the goal of rookie Millwall goalkeeper King, who was making his first league start outside The Den in place of the injured Jordan Archer.

With Banks and Aiden O'Neill working hard in central midfield, Chris Taylor was involved early on in getting at full-back Shaun Cummings, but was unable to fashion much of an opening.

Millwall - who entered this game on the back of a 14-match unbeaten run, including three Premier League scalps in the FA Cup - got to grips with the mud-laden surface and very nearly took the lead after 24 minutes.

David Worrall hung up a cross towards the far post and though Ripley tried to claim it, tall Lions striker Harry Smith's leap and challenge was fair and a strong header drifted only a foot wide of the far post.

If that was a let-off, Athletic continued to press forward as best they could given the cut-up surface and created a similar chance. Paul Green could not get over the top of a header from 12 yards after a teasing left-wing cross by Taylor which ended a smart move from the hosts three minutes before the break.

Athletic started the second half well and after a sprightly surge forward, Obadeyi fired left-footed only a couple of yards wide from outside the box. The same player then cut in from the right flanks before hitting another angled drive from 18 yards out that swerved away from the far post.

At the other end, Wilson produced a superb tackle after Shaun Williams had been neatly fed inside the area.

CLEAR

Athletic were giving as good as they got, but had Clarke to thank for getting back to clear after Onyedinma's shot had defeated Ripley for the first and only time of the afternoon.

Banks made King stoop to awkwardly palm out after 74 minutes and though the Lions applied the pressure as the clock wore on, Ripley twice had the answers to Gregory's penalty posers.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic performed well but were ultimately indebted once again to their star goalkeeper.