Millwall stun playoff rivals Forest

LONDON: Matt Smith sc­ored a 13-minute hat-trick in the first half as Millwall stunned Championship play-off rivals Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground on Friday.

Gary Rowett’s Millwall are now just two points off the top six after only their second win from their past nine league matches.

It was also the Londoners’ biggest away win since a 4-1 victory — also at Forest — more than seven years ago.

“We were superb in different ways today. In the first 45 minutes, from an attacking sense, I thought all three goals were very, very well worked and we had some other opportunities which was pleasing,” said Rowett.

Forest stay fourth in the table but could be at least 11 points off the automatic promotion places by the end of the weekend.

“It’s a bad feeling and disappointing because the expectation was different,” said Forest coach Sabri Lamouchi.

“We gave them the possibility to kill us and they killed us.”

West Brom lead the way in the standings on 69 points with Leeds in second place, a point further behind.