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Cardiff City missed the chance to move back to the top of the Championship as they were held by Millwall.

A scrappy first half saw Jordan Archer in the visitors' goal deny Danny Ward and Junior Hoilett with good saves.

Millwall striker Steve Morison saw his effort saved when through one-on-one with Neil Etheridge.

Both sides had half chances in the second period, but there have now been just four goals in the last seven meetings between these two.

It was a scrappy game, particularly in the first half, with the first chance not coming until almost half hour in when Ward saw his low shot pushed away by Archer.

But just as the home side looked to be in the ascendency, they gifted Millwall a great chance when an under-hit backpass by Sol Bamba was seized upon by former Wales international Morison, but one-on-one with Etheridge it was the Bluebirds' goalkeeper who blocked the shot.

On 38 minutes, Lions goalkeeper Jordan had to be alert again to stop Hoilett's fierce volley.

A more open second half could have seen the Bluebirds down to 10 men early on when Sean Morrison looked to have impeded Lee Gregory when he was through on goal, but nothing was given.

The Millwall striker then stung the palms of Etheridge with an effort.

With owner Vincent Tan watching, the Bluebirds struggled to break down a determined Millwall side who were having the better of things as the game wore on.

In added time, the Bluebirds might have had a penalty when it seemed defender Morrison was hauled down in the Millwall box.

But, in the end, a game which never promised a glut of goals duly failed to deliver.

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock said: "I pointed to the stand and asked if he (referee Steve Martin) enjoyed the applause. I thought they were playing opposites at one stage: there was a corner and he gave a goal-kick, there was a goal-kick and he gave a corner, a free-kick for them when it should have been ours.

"He was consistently poor: he started off bad and fell away."

Millwall manager Neil Harris on his side's penalty claim when Lee Gregory went down in the box, said: "It's a definite penalty. When you've got 20,000 people in a stadium and the only person who doesn't think it is is the referee: someone's got to be wrong. He got it completely wrong.

"Clearly today the four of them (referee and officials) weren't up to it."