Alex Mighten scored his first senior goal as he earned Nottingham Forest a hard-fought point against Millwall.

The academy graduate levelled the game early in the second half at The Den after Tom Bradshaw’s opener just a few minutes earlier, as both sides battled in the wind and rain in the capital.

The Reds showed plenty of character and determination to battle their way through the game and thoroughly deserved at least a point on the road.

Chris Hughton was able to name Lewis Grabban in the starting line-up for the first time since his appointment as manager, with Grabban replacing Lyle Taylor in the only change from the midweek win against Sheffield Wednesday.

Forest were pinned back from the start by the hosts as Millwall dominated the ball in the opening five minutes, with handball appeals against Loic Mbe Soh in the Forest penalty area being turned away.

The first time The Reds had the ball of note, Sammy Ameobi broke forward and fed Grabban down the right and his teasing cross escaped everyone in the middle, including the arriving Alex Mighten at the back post.

The goalmouth action significantly reduced after that in what was a scrappy affair, with five yellow cards dished out and little quality on show. Jed Wallace hit a free kick straight at Brice Samba and Ameobi fired wildly wide either side of the half-hour mark in a game that was destined to be goalless at the break.

The best bit of attacking play came on 33 as a superb pass by Ameobi split the Millwall defence, finding Yates’s run into the box who managed to steer the ball goalwards from the byline but Bartosz Bialkowski was on guard to keep it out at his near post. 

A scrappy half ended without a goal but there was an explosive start to the second half as Millwall took less than two minutes after the restart. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson raced to the byline and pulled the ball back for Bradshaw who had a tap in from eight yards out to put The Lions in front.

But that lead lasted just two minutes as Forest were level. Mbe Soh’s long ball forward was allowed to run on by Grabban, freeing Mighten to get on the end of it and clip an effort past Bialkowski for his first senior goal.

It looked as if there would be more goalmouth action in the second period as there was a frenetic nature to the contest, with both sides repeatedly charging forward but to no avail as the efforts on goal were limited.

The last action in front of goal came in the final minute of stoppage time as Ryan Leonard hit a dipping volley which forced Samba to tip it over the bar, but The Reds had battled well all afternoon and were full value for at least a point to take back to Nottingham. 

Forest: Samba; Christie, Mbe Soh, Worrall, Ribeiro; Sow, Yates, Cafu; Mighten (Knockaert 74’), Grabban (c) (Taylor 69’), Ameobi

Unused subs: Smith, Figueiredo, Bong, Jenkinson, Guerrero, Lolley, Arter

Goal: Mighten 50’

Bookings: Cafu 14’, Ribeiro 20’, Sow 28’, Ameobi 59’

Millwall: Bialkowski, Wallace, Hutchinson, Cooper, Williams (Thompson 90’), Wallace (Burey 90’), Bradshaw (Parrott 72’), Romeo, Leonard, Bennett (Smith 72’), Bodvarsson (Skalak 83’)

Unused subs: Fielding, Pearce, Muller, Tiensia

Goal: Bradshaw 47’

Bookings: Leonard 14’, Romeo 16’

Referee: Oliver Langford