Stoke City 0-0 Millwall: Steven Schumacher denied win in first game as Potters boss
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Millwall and Stoke managed just one attempt on target between them in a cheerless first half
Head coach Steven Schumacher had a frustrating start in charge of Stoke City as fellow Championship strugglers Millwall survived a second-half onslaught to earn a point.
Both out-of-form sides struggled in a dismal first half, with the Lions not managing an attempt on goal until first-half injury time when Jake Cooper headed wide, and the hosts not faring much better.
But Schumacher, who only left Plymouth Argyle to replace Alex Neil as Potters boss on Tuesday, clearly made an impact during the half-time break as the Potters piled forward trying to end an eight-game winless run.
Countless chances went begging, with Ryan Mmaee and Josh Laurent both going close, while Lions keeper Matija Sarkic was also in inspired form.
Schumacher received a fine reception from the home fans before the game. But a cheerless first half was followed by a frustrating second period as the 39-year-old failed to put an end to a miserable run of form, which has now seen his new club pick up just five points from a nine-game winless run.
The Lions have been almost as bad and are now without a victory in seven Championship matches since the thumping 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in Joe Edwards' first game as manager, so the resulting festive fare dished up in the first half was predictably dull.
Ki-Jana Hoever went closest for Stoke, shooting over after some neat approach work, while Mmaee had a long-range strike saved.
The second half was markedly different, with far more urgency and attacking intent as the hosts finished with 19 attempts on goal.
Hoever almost broke the deadlock, and a deflected Andre Vidigal strike nearly trickled in.
But a combination of some loose finishing and fine goalkeeping ensured Millwall left the bet365 Stadium with a draw, which sees them remain a point behind Stoke and just three points above the relegation zone.
Stoke City manager Steven Schumacher told BBC Radio Stoke:
"The performance was pretty good. The first 10 to 15 minutes were tough, it was a bit scrappy.
"There were about 10 fouls in the first 10 minutes and that is kind of what Millwall can do to you at times, they drag you into a fight.
"I think the players stood up to that really well. Once the game settled down, we started to see some of the signs that we had spoken about in the week.
"Second half, I thought we were excellent. It looked like it was one-way traffic and we were just waiting for one of the chances that we created to go in."
Millwall manager Joe Edwards told BBC Radio London: "I thought it was a solid performance from us. We obviously came to an opponent without a clear picture or idea of what they were going to be with such a new manager. "We focused very much on us. We wanted to come and really control any new manager bounce or energy that the stadium would have. "I thought we did that really well and that was what pleased me in the first half. "We looked a lot more comfortable in possession than we have done in recent weeks, albeit the final bit wasn't there, we didn't create loads in front of goal."