The Millers At Wembley

Rotherham United’s next game sees them travel to the capital to take on Sutton United at Wembley in the Papa John’s Trophy Final.

But this is not the Millers first trip to Wembley – or their second – or the third – or indeed the fourth. This will be Rotherham’s fifth Wembley appearance in twenty-six years.

The first time Rotherham United fans walked down Wembley way was in this very same competition, then called the Auto Windscreens Shield Trophy, on 14 April 1996 when Shrewsbury Town were the opposition. The star of the show and not surprisingly the Man of the Match, was Nigel Jemson who sent the Millers contingent in the crowd wild on twenty minutes when he put Rotherham in front. On fifty-eight minutes he was there again to make it two-nil, after some good play from Shaun Goater, and should probably have had a hat-trick. Shrewsbury made things difficult with nine minutes to go when Mark Taylor made it two-one but the Millers held on and goalkeeper Matt Clarke lifted the trophy at the end of the game at the Old Wembley. Archie Gemmill and John McGovern were joint managers for Rotherham and made no substitutions on the day with Ian Breckin getting the only Millers booking, David Allison from Lancashire showing the yellow card.

The Millers were next at Wembley for the 2010 League Two Play-Off Final. Rotherham had finished fifth in the league with seventy-three points which was twenty points below top placed Notts County and went on to beat Aldershot in the semi-finals three-nil over two legs. Their opponents at the ‘New’ Wembley were Dagenham and Redbridge who finished one point behind the Millers in the table. Just over thirty-two thousand were in the stadium as Ronnie Moore led the Millers out and the referee was James Linington. Rotherham’s Andy Warrington was the busiest at the start of the game before Ryan Taylor had three chances to score. On thirty-eight minutes the Daggers took the lead when a curling shot from Paul Benson found the bottom corner of the net. A minute later the Millers were level after Taylor got the better of his marker to head the ball in. Eleven minutes into the second half Danny Green put Dagenham back into the lead again and it took Taylor five minutes this time to equalise. But with twenty minutes to go Jon Nurse put Dagenham and Redbridge back into the lead again and this time there was no coming back for the Millers.

Four years later Rotherham were back at Wembley with Steve Evans and Paul Raynor leading them to the League One Play-Off Final and, to Millers fans, will always be known as the ‘Ambitious But Brilliant Final’. Rotherham had finished fourth place in League One seventeen points behind top placed Wolverhampton Wanderers and went on to beat Preston North End in the semi-final. Northamptonshire’s David Coote had the whistle with forty-three thousand four hundred fans watching on. Leyton Orient were the opposition and they took the lead on thirty-four minutes with a Moses Odubajo shot through a host of players in the box finding the net. Five minutes later James Tavernier headed a shot from Dave Mooney away but it fell to Odubajo who sent the ball into Dean Cox on the line who tapped it in to give Orient a two-nil lead going in at half-time. Evans was on his own in the dugout for the second half after Paul Raynor was sent to the stands and saw Tavernier’s twenty-five yards out free-kick rattle the crossbar and go to safety. But up stepped Alex Revell after a free-kick was fumbled by Orient ‘keeper Jamie Jones with the Millers number nine there to hit the ball into the empty net. Five minutes later a pass from Ben Pringle found its way to Revell who shot from some thirty-five yards out with the TV commentator saying ‘Ambitious’ and as the ball flew into the net ‘but brilliant’ as the Millers end of Wembley went wild. The game went to extra-time where Jones did well to get his fingertips to a Revell shot and both sides had half chances before the game went to the dreaded penalty shoot-out. Agard scored for the Millers with James equalising. Frecklington saw his shot saved with Lundstrum making it two-one to Orient. Pringle hit his penalty into the net followed by another goal for Orient from Clarke. Tavernier was next up for Rotherham and scored before Matt Collins in the Millers goal saved from Baudry – three-three. Smallwood, taking his first ever senior spot-kick, scored his penalty for the Millers and Dagnell stepped up for Orient with Collins saving his second penalty and giving Rotherham a start the following season in the Championship.

May 2018 saw the Millers back at Wembley again in the League One Play-Off Final when they took on Shrewsbury Town. Paul Warne’s Rotherham had finished fourth in the league nineteen points below Wigan Athletic in top place with the Shrews finishing one place above Rotherham. The Millers faced Scunthorpe in the play-off semi-final games drawing two-two at Glanford Park but winning two-nil at the New York Stadium. Robert Jones was the referee and there were twenty-six thousand two hundred in the ground soaking up the sunshine. Some early pressure from Shrewsbury was dealt with before Richard Wood was brought down in the area by Omar Beckles on nine minutes and up stepped David Ball to take the resulting spot-kick but saw it saved by on loan Town ‘keeper Dean Henderson. On thirty-two minutes Wood got to a Newell corner and put the Millers in the lead heading into the net. Thirteen minutes into the second half a free-kick found former Miller Mat Sadler who passed back to Alex Rodman who sent the ball past Millers’ ‘keeper Marek Rodak for the equaliser. Both sides had chances to score again but the game ended one-one after ninety minutes and went into extra time. Joe Newell had a couple of good chances to put the Millers back in the lead before a free-kick from Newell saw Wood climb highest and headed in off the post to make it two-one to Rotherham. Chances at both ends went begging or were cleared before the final whistle which saw the Millers go back into the Championship thanks to captain Richard Wood and his ‘magic hat’.

And now it’s our fifth appearance at the National home of English football – but how will we fare? In only a matter of days we will know.

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