Greg Abbott went for the same starting line up that had taken him through to the second round of the Carling Cup on Tuesday night with scorer Scott Dobie once again handed the task of leading the line, with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in close support.

Peter Murphy and Paul Thirlwell missed out through groin and dead leg injuries respectively, with Conor Tinnion called up onto the bench to provide cover.

United had the first chance of the day when Bridge-Wilkinson wasted no time in diverting a Raven throw into the path of Joe Anyinsah. He was at a tight angle, but he volleyed early and forced Forde to make the save.

Steve Morison caused problems at the other end when he wrestled the ball past Harte and made his way to the edge of the area. He crossed low, but Livesey got a boot in the way and cleared the danger.

Harris sent one in from wide on 6 minutes and it was Livesey again who won the header as Gary Alexander tried to finish it off.

Gary Alexander stole a yard at a Hackett free kick on 11 minutes and he nodded the ball down and towards the near post as a line of blue shirts followed the move. Pidgeley moved across quickly to mop up the danger.

It was a good spell for the Lions and Harris rattled the side netting with a 10-yard volley when Hackett overlapped and lobbed the ball temptingly towards him.

Gary Alexander tried one from distance in the 16th minute when he nicked the ball off Livesey's toe and suddenly found himself with a clear sight of the target. Pidgeley was well placed once more and the save was an easy one to make.

A well-worked move from the Cumbrians almost unlocked the door in the 19th minute when Raven and Bridge-Wilkinson combined to make space for Kavanagh. He lined up the shot and it took a deflection from Dunne to send it wide.

Excellent defending at a Millwall corner by Keogh and Livesey kept the pack at bay as a wicked delivery pinged around, but it was the black shirts who dealt with it as they put their bodies on the line.

Keogh put a header wide under pressure in the 29th minute when Ian Harte curled a wide free kick towards the penalty spot, but the game became tetchy as the tackles started to fly in around the midfield areas.

United had a series of opportunities to get the ball into the box on 41 minutes, but the Lions rallied and broke quickly with Morison on the left flank. He took it to the bye line and it needed a firm challenge from Raven to prevent Harris from taking his shot.

Pidgeley had to get down to smother a grass cutter from Alexander as the football started to flow again, and Alexander looped a header over the bar when he was found by a pinpoint cross from Morison.

Half Time: Millwall 0 - 0 United

Andy Frampton headed the first chance of the second half over the bar from a whipped Barron free kick, and Steve Morison went even closer with a swirling shot that rattled the base of the upright after he carried the ball into the box.

The game became tight with neither side finding an attacking rhythm, but teenager Tom Taiwo should have done better in the 69th minute when he ran into the box from deep. Dobie had held the ball up first, with Anyinsah taking it on, but the on-loan Chelsea midfielder lost his footing and scuffed his shot towards the recovering defender.

Neither keeper was troubled for long spells as the game threatened to burst into life with no let up in the actual pace of the play.

However, David Martin hit the crossbar when he broke from a Carlisle corner and found his way into the box. His cross-shot spun over Pidgeley but grazed off the upright for Keogh to then hook away.

Pidgeley punched a deflected Martin cross out from under the nose of Harris as the game drifted into time added on, but United kept the work rate up to claim their thoroughly deserved point.

Bookings

Millwall - Fuseini (38)

United - Pidgeley (33), Raven (49), Harte (71)

Teams

Millwall - Forde, Dunne, Frampton, Alexander (Martin 62), Harris, Hackett (Price 74), Barron, Morison, Smith, Fuseini, Friend. Subs - Sullivan, Bolder, Craig, Grimes, Laird.

United - Pidgeley, Raven, Livesey, Keogh, Harte, Anyinsah, Taiwo, Kavanagh, Bridge-Wilkinson (Madine 73), Robson, Dobie. Subs - Collin, Horwood, Rothery, Tinnion, Burns, Kane.

Away fans - tbc