As we reach the 20th Anniversary of that glorious day in North London, i'd like to share my memories and the story of the Auto Windscreens Shield 1995-96.
It started back at the Deva Stadium, Chester on Tuesday 26th September 1995, when myself and 41 other Millers fans turned up to see a 25 yard free-kick from Andy Roscoe deep into the second half fly into the Chester goal, to secure the win in what was then a 3 team group format for round one.
774 in total at the game, and the RUFC Supporters Club Chairman, Clive Hartley, predicted as he boarded the Coach that this was our year for Wembley.
He was met by a few laughs, and one or two calls to see a Psychiatrist, but he would have the last laugh a few months later.
The 2nd group game on October 17th saw us face Burnley at Millmoor, a team we saw a lot of in that decade and they nearly always provided us with good hard fought tight games.
This one was no different as the game ended 1-1 with Andy Hayward equalising for the Millers after 67 minutes following a Kurt Nogan opener for the Clarets on the stroke of half time.
1539 in attendance that night.
The second round saw us guaranteed an home game thanks to finishing top of the Round one group stage and we came up against Wigan Athletic on November 28th.
In goal we had Carl Muggleton, on loan from Stoke City and deputising for the injured Matt Clarke.
Muggleton had played 3 League games for the Millers prior to the Wigan game and conceded 12 goals.
A 2-2 draw with Crewe at Millmoor on his debut, followed by a 7-0 humiliation at Wrexhan and a 3-2 reversal at home to Bristol City.
However, after finishing goalless at the end of extra time, Carl Muggleton turned hero as we won the penalty shoot-out 4-1....Paul Blades netting the winning penalty for the Millers.
The gate was down on the Burnley game as just 1,008 witnessed it.
The Quarter-Final on January 9th came at a bad time for Rotherham as we were on a 12 game run without a win, but we turned the form book upside down with a pretty comfortable 3-1 victory over Lincoln City at Millmoor.
First half goals from Shaun Goodwin and Trevor Berry gave us the momentum going into the break, but despite Gareth Ainsworth pulling one back for the Red Imps, a second from "Raggy" sealed the victory in front of 1,825 fans.
This result acted as a confidence booster for our League campaign as well as we won the next 4 games to move up from 20th to 15th in Division 2 (Now League 1)
Unchartered territory for the Millers now as we reached the Semi-Final stage of this competition for the first time, and yet another home draw, as we entertained York City in front of a much increased crowd of 3,913 on February 13th....Maybe the belief of Clive Hartley had spread around the Town, and people could just see a little glimpse of the Twin Towers in their minds eye.
A 2-2 draw in the League at Bootham Crescent just 3 days earlier had ended the Millers 5 game winning run in all competitions, but order was restored with a fine 4-1 victory in this game.
Andy Hayward gave us an early lead, but York equalised on 18 minutes through Nick Peverill.
However, the turning point of the game occured 10 minutes later when Steve Tutill stamped on Shaun Goater, and the Minstermen were down to 10 men.
From the resulting foul, a trademark free kick from Andy Roscoe made it 2-1 from outside the penalty area..
Into the second half, and it was Darren Garner's turn to hit home a 25 yarder to make it 3-1 before Shaun Goodwin headed home to finish off the scoring and cement the Millers place in the Area Final.
2 days after the York City game, joint Managers Archie Gemmill and John McGovern pulled off a masterstroke and signed former Nottingham Forest striker, Nigel Jemson, on loan from Notts County.
Within 2 months, "Jemmo" would achieve legendary status at Rotherham United.
Onto the Area Final, and the 2 legged tie put us up against Carlisle United with the first leg to be played at Millmoor on March 5th
Obviously, we would be looking to take a lead into the second leg, but as the game drew on, the Cumbrians were just happy to sit back and defend.
We had drawn 2-2 at Brunton Park earlier on in the season thanks to a Shaun Goater brace, and it was Goater who eventually broke the deadlock with 17 minutes remaining......a slender lead, but a lead all the same.
However, when Dean Walling brought down Nigel Jemson in the box after 82 minutes, Neil Richardson stepped up to take the penalty and the lead was doubled.
Attendance was 6,858
Prior to the second leg at Brunton Park 7 days later, Carlisle Manager Mervyn Day commited the cardinal sin of going to press and stating that "Rotherham would be in for a rude awakening in the second leg".
These words came back to haunt him as the 1,300 Millers fans, freezing but delerious in the snow and wind, saw the 2-0 first leg score doubled within 26 minutes....the legend in the making, Nigel Jemson netting both goals.
The rest of the game was just a party in the park as Wembley related songs reverberated around the away end, amid scenes of joy and ecstasy that i will never forget as long as i live.
6,692 saw the Millers make history and book our place at Wembley for the first time ever.
On the way home, celebrating Millers fans turned nearby Penrith into a mini Rotherham.
We stopped at a boozer and were told by the Landlord that while ever anybody was drinking, he was staying open.....none of us had work the next day and so it was red rag to a bull time.
Unfortunately, against our better judgement, one person in our car had a dental appointment in the morning so we reluctantly left the premises just after midnight or i think we'd still be there.
23 days lapsed between the Carlisle game and the Final itself and it was just an unbelievable time to be a Miller as the whole Town went Wembley crazy.
Massive queues at Millmoor to purchase the tickets....flags, banners, scarves etc being sold all over Town, the Club shop never had a quiet moment and i bet the phones went into meltdown.
Here's my story of the Wembley weekend.
Saturday 13th April 1996, 24 hours to go until one of the biggest days in the Club's history and me, my Girlfriend Jane and a dozen or so others set off in a mini-bus bound for Watford, where we would enjoy a one night stop before moving on to Wembley the following morning.
On arrival we booked into a Pub in the centre of Watford with added dormatory's in the courtyard.
Not the poshest of places, but for the sake of just one night it was alright.
Arriving just before dinner time we unpacked and made our arrangements for the afternoon.
3 or 4 went sightseeing into the capital.....One friend went on a billy-no-mates trip to Upton Park to see West Ham take on Bolton, whilst me and the rest of our gang stayed local and went to Vicarage Road for Watford v Port Vale.
We chose the better option, as a first half Tony Cottee goal gave the Hammers a slender 1-0 win while we witnessed a thrilling 5-2 victory for the Divison one bottom club Watford.
David Connolly bagging an hat-trick for the Hornets and a brace for Devon White.....with Andy Porter and Martin Foyle netting Port Vale's goals.
Future Millers striker Lee Glover came on as a sub for Vale.
We returned to the Pub and met up with the others before getting ready for a night out in Watford.
This is where my memory plays up (or was it just the alcohol) but the only pub i can really remember was the first one we went in.
A dimly lit bar in the centre of Watford and all around the walls were different instruments of torture....needless to say, we just had one very quick pint in there and left.
Gone midnight and some of the group decided to go back to our digs, leaving the rest of them to carry on their night out, which ended with a few of them racing round Watford Town Centre in "borrowed" shopping trolleys.
I returned back to the pub, but while the others went to their rooms, i stayed in the bar drinking with the locals.
Well after 3 i decided i'd had enough and i went to the dormitory, stopping off at the toilet on the way.
Pitch black, and i'd no idea where the light was, but i still went into one of the cubicle's.
On finishing, i tried to open the cubicle door but it was jammed solid.
I felt around for the lock but had no idea why i couldn't get out.
Sobering up very quickly, and obviously a few years before any of us had such things as mobile phones, i had all sorts of thoughts going through my head....what if no one can hear me....what if no one comes in here in the morning.....would i miss Rotherham's big day cos i'm stuck in a bog in Watford.
Eventually after what seemed like an eternity, i heard a familiar voice as Paul "Elvis" Johnson entered the building.....climbed over the bog wall and let me out......it tuned out that when i shut the door on entering, a water pipe had become dislodged and wedged behind the door.
Anyway, panic over and i went to bed for a very short sleep before Breakfast time on the Millers big day.
Breakfast over and we packed our things up and jumped in the mini-bus, Wembley bound.
We arrived around 10 and with no pubs open at that time we found an off licence and grabbed a couple of cans to see us through.
The Torch pub opened and we made our way there and the scenes we witnessed from outside was just breathtaking.....coach after coach of Millers fans descending on Wembley, Coach horns tooting, every Coach waved through by fans outside the boozers and lining the streets.....the occasional Shrewsbury Coach (seemed like a ratio of 12:1 in our favour) passing through and acknowledged.
The buzz was well and truly there and as kick off got closer we made our way to the Ground.
It was my 5th visit to Wembley, and my first since the 1986 Charity Shield, but i never tired of seeing the iconic Twin Towers....i just stood there gazing in awe of them, and the realisation, that our team would be playing below them just tugged on the emotions so much.
Into the Ground and watching the crowd slowly filter in and seeing our players taking in the atmosphere out on the pitch sent the old adrenaline into overdrive.
Finally it was time for Gemmill and McGovern to emerge from the tunnel to walk in front of the Millers players captained of course by keeper Matt Clarke.
Fred Davies led out the Shrewsbury team.
The early Millers possession reaped deserved rewards in the 20th minute when Shaun Goater provided the assist for Nigel Jemson to hammer home and although it remained 1-0 at the interval, Rotherham were by far the better team going into the break.
Just before the hour mark, we doubled our lead as Nigel Jemson pounced on a poor backpass and an equally poor attempted clearence from the Shrewsbury keeper to roll the ball home into the empty net.
2-0 half an hour to go, this would probably be the longest 30 minutes of our lives.
The nerves were really tested with 10 minutes to go as a good run from Ian Stevens gave him the chance to pick out Mark Taylor to net from close range.
Then a moment i clearly remember, as i used to back us to win 3-1 every game at that time, and Nigel Jemson ran through with the Shrewsbury keeper Paul Edwards to beat, but with Shaun Goater unmarked to his right.
I could already see the winnings being handed over the bookies counter as we shouted Jemson to pass to Goater, but with the chance of netting a Wembley hat-trick too much of a temptation for Nigel, he went for the glory, but Edwards saved the shot......never mind, it's only money.
The final whistle went and the red section of the 35,235 crowd went into hysterics......Tears, hugs, kisses, cuddles.....and that was just the men.
The players went up to receive the Shield from special guest Geoff Hurst, and as the prize was being paraded around the old ground by the victorious Millers players, the Queen song "We are the Champions" blasted out over the tannoy, and that's when this soppy old bugger hit the waterworks.
I can't hear that song now without recalling that wonderful April afternoon, and still get the goosebumps as it plays.
As the Ground started to empty and the hoardes of Millers fans went their seperate ways to celebrate wherever they were bound for, we boarded our minibus and headed for the only place to be....The Millmoor Hotel.
A trouble free return journey and we arrived back shortly after 8.30.....great....the team bus hadn't got back yet.
As it arrived, the car park and Millmoor forecourt were packed with fans meeting and greeting the returning heroes and we all had our turns getting photo's with the players and the Shield.
The party in the Millmoor Hotel went deep into the night and i think me and Jane finally arrived home around 3.30am tired, weary, slightly hungover, but with hearts bursting with happiness and pride.
Call it the Mickey Mouse Cup if you like, but for that day, it felt like those Legends in red and white had won the FA Cup, The League Championship and The European Cup all rolled into one.
GEMMILL, MCGOVERN, CLARKE, BLADES, HURST, GARNER, RICHARDSON, BRECKIN, BERRY, GOODWIN, GOATER, JEMSON, ROSCOE.......WE SALUTE YOU !!!!!!!!
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