OWEN Coyle hailed his debut boys at The Den after Wanderers moved to within 90 minutes of a return to Wembley.

Tim Ream made a composed first appearance in a Whites shirt, while winger Ryo Miyaichi, on loan from Arsenal, set his side on their way with a fantastic early finish on his first start in English football.

A trip to Millwall had looked a tricky prospect, given Wanderers went into the game on the back of two disappointing performances against Norwich and Wigan.

But after nerves were settled early on with Miyaichi’s strike, Coyle was pleased with the professionalism his side had shown to see the game out.

“It was a very pleasing performance for me, in what we knew would be an intimidating atmosphere,” he said. “We showed quality at times, starting right from the start when we played the quick free-kick out to Ryo.

“For him to pull that ball out of the sky – everyone was going on about the wonderful finish but for me the most pleasing aspect was the touch that led to the finish.

“To take that ball out of the air and to set himself one on one with the goal keeper was outstanding.

“But that’s why we brought him to the club. We think he is an exciting young player.”

Miyaichi’s pace caused constant problems to the home side, and the 19-year-old has the potential to be a key player for Wanderers in the coming months, according to Coyle.

“We saw it in the second half against Wigan,” he said. “If you took that in isolation, I thought he was the best player on the pitch.

“We took him off but that boy could have played another game because he is in such good condition.

“But I wanted to get him a round of applause from the fans.”

Ream’s debut, some 24 days after his signing from New York Red Bulls was confirmed, was also worth the wait.

The defender had to wade through the red tape to put himself in line for a start in the FA Cup – but Coyle was pleased to see him get straight up to speed.

“Tim never looked out of place,” he said. “He looked quick and composed on the ball.

“He won his headers against (Darius) Henderson who is powerful and strong and a handful for most of them.

“We know Tim has pace to burn so no one was going to outrun him.

“The two of them were big positives and both will continue to get better.

“But the team in general gave a big performance.”