Millwall striker’s two second-half pitch exits explained – and he risked a ticking off for first one

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has explained why Tom Bradshaw twice had to leave the field of play in the second half of today’s 0-0 draw with Hull City.

And the Lions boss admits that the former Barnsley and Walsall frontman would have been in hot water for the first reason if their opponents had scored while he waited for clearance to re-enter the field of play by referee John Busby.

“First he didn’t put his pads on, which Iwas pretty stupid of him,” said Rowett. “Because if they ended up scoring at 10 versus 10 I would’ve been pretty disappointed.

“Then for the second one he had a cut, it was just dripping down his ear, so again he had to come off from that.”

Bradshaw had a goal struck off in the second half as Hull’s 10 men earned a point. Oscar Estupinan was shown a straight red card in the 37th minute for a high boot on Leeds loanee Charlie Cresswell.

“I think he [Bradshaw] was just offside,” said Rowett. “I haven’t seen it back but the lad said maybe he was just offside. Again, it’s a shame, we’ve had a couple of those this season where, just as we break the deadlock, it’s an offside goal.

“We’ve had enough opportunities to get the balls in those areas. Maybe we lacked just a natural target man in those last 10, 15 minutes of the game. The ball goes in the box, I saw it last night with Ched Evans [for Preston against Reading], he gets a little glancing header and it goes in the bottom corner.

“We couldn’t quite find anyone to go and find that finish. It was always going to be a scruffy finish, it was always going to be a ball that drops to one of ours, but I would say that Hull defended really, really diligently for all of the second half.”