LET ‘em all come down to The Den, the Millwall song goes.

All apart from Blues, that is, Millwall’s nemesis.

There was Stern John’s 90th-minute play-off winner.

Then a League Cup penalty shoot-out success.

Blues bashed them 4-1 in the FA Cup there last season.

And now this, a six-nil hammering.

To many, it remains a difficult and intimidating place to go.

To Blues it could just be the place where not only did they deflate the hosts once more, but where their promotion push gathered real momentum.

Blues went into the play-off zone for the first time, albeit until Reading’s evening victory at Watford.

And the impact such an away-day thrashing has on confidence and mood cannot be understated.

Never mind the circumstances that much. Millwall had two players sent off, but it was down to Blues to profit, and they did.

They exploited the gaps and finished clinically. And, throughout the course of the whole game, they kept their composure and used their heads when others around them, on the pitch and in the stands, were losing theirs.

It was the best away win since Trevor Francis’s Blues walloped Oxford United 7-1 at the Manor Ground in December 1998. And this is how the goal-fest developed:

**18 minutes, 0-1: Jordon Mutch’s searching free-kick from a deep central position is headed powerfully in by Curtis Davies, who steals round the back.

**59 minutes, 0-2: a sweetly-struck shot by Marlon King towards the top corner from 12 yards after he swivels away from his marker.

**74 minutes, 0-3: Chris Burke smacks in a left-footer after exchanging passes with King to get into the heart of the penalty area.

**81 minutes, 0-4: Adam Rooney lashes a low shot past David Forde from the edge of the penalty area after Burke skips over two tackles to lay the ball off square.

**83 minutes, 0-5: King bursts clear on to Rooney’s clipped pass, chests it beyond the onrushing Forde and guides the ball into the roof of the unguarded net.

**90+2 minutes, 0-6: Nathan Redmond wriggles forward into space, exchanges passes with King, and thumps home a sidefooter from the latter’s pull-back.

And this is how the red mist descended on Millwall:

** 22 minutes, Shane Lowry sent off: Nikola Zigic slides in and catches Lowry on the lower shins as he clears downfield; Lowry responds by stamping on Zigic’s knee and thigh.

** 57 minutes, Alan Dunne sent off: Dunne charges into a 50-50 with Zigic and goes at him with his studs up. Reckless, and fortunately he didn’t catch Zigic’s knee.

Millwall manager Kenny Jackett described it as a ‘bizarre’ game as his side had actually played very well in the first half.

In fact, they should have gone in 3-1 ahead at half-time.