Explained: The exact reason why Millwall FC are nicknamed the Lions | OneFootball

Millwall FC: Football League World takes a look at how the Lions first adopted their nickname

Millwall are currently enjoying their eighth consecutive Championship season, following a 1-0 victory over Bradford City in the 2017 League One play-off final.

After being initially founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the London club have enjoyed successes, such as winning the second tier title in 1987/88 and being crowned as third tier champions following a successful 2000/01 season.

Remarkably, the Lions featured in the 2004 FA Cup final as a second tier side, with club legends such as Paul Ifill, Tim Cahill and Neil Harris among their ranks, but fell to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League giants Manchester United, during a game which was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, due to the fact that the new Wembley Stadium was still under construction.

The men from the Den would enjoy yet another historic cup run in 2013, as they reached the semi-finals as a Championship side, but lost 2-0 at Wembley Stadium at the hands of eventual champions Wigan Athletic, then of the top-flight.

Millwall's nickname derives from FA Cup actions

According to the Millwall History Files, the London outfit adopted their nickname as they were referred to as the Lions for their acts of giant-killing which enabled them to reach the 1900 FA Cup semi-finals.

That 1900 FA Cup side, then known as Millwall Athletic, defeated Aston Villa 2-1 in a quarter-final replay, before holding Southampton to a 0-0 draw in the semi-finals.

However, they fell to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Saints in the semi-final replay, and their early 20th century FA Cup fairytale came to an end.

Meanwhile, the Hampshire side would go on to suffer a 4-0 hammering by Bury in the final, as the Lancashire club cruised to victory courtesy of a Jasper McLuckie brace, as well as goals from Willie Wood and Jack Plant.

But despite earning their Lions nickname due to acts of giant-killing in 1900, the Lion, which still appears on the club's badge to this day, would not be put onto their crest until the 1930s.

Due to their aforementioned cup runs in both 2004 and 2013, in which they reached the final and semi-final respectively, the Den faithful will feel as though the spirit of the giant-killing Lions of 1900 lives on.

Lions nickname was apt during Millwall's 2013 FA Cup run

Millwall were dubbed the Lions thanks to their cup exploits in 1900, when they caused upsets to unexpectedly reach the semi-finals, and they were at it again 113 years later.

The London outfit finished just 20th in the Championship at the end of the 2012/13 Championship season, and avoided the drop zone by just two points.

But a second tier relegation battle did not prevent the Lions from defeating Premier League opponents en route to the final four of the FA Cup.

After seeing off Preston North End, then of League One in round three, Kenny Jackett's men knocked out top-flight Aston Villa in the fourth round, with an unlikely 2-1 victory on home soil.

Then, after avoiding the threat of an upset against then non-league Luton Town in round five, the Lions saw off fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers with a 1-0 victory at Ewood Park in a quarter-final replay.

The Lions had therefore reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 2013, 113 years on from their dramatic run to the same stage in 1900, a feat which would not have been possible without an improbable victory over Villa, and one which lived up to their nickname.