After 54 matches in all competitions this season Rotherham United prepare for their most important one of all as they contest the League Two play-off final chasing their first promotion in nine years.
Thanks to the 3-0 aggregate success against Aldershot in the semi-final the Millers travel to the new Wembley for the very first time where they will meet Dagenham & Redbridge to fight it out for a place in League One next season.
With no fresh injury concerns and a suspension-free squad proud boss Ronnie Moore could name an unchanged side from the one which confirmed their dream day out with the 2-0 home victory in the second-leg. Ryan Taylor could again partner Adam Le Fondre in attack, however Tom Pope and Dale Tonge are still missing through injury.
John Still should have the same squad available to him as the one which recorded a 7-2 aggregate win against Morecambe in their semi-final, and with no fresh injuries to contend with he will be expected to keep the faith with his play-off strategy.
The Millers have waited 14 years to play another game on the capital's big stage having last taken to the Wembley turf in its old surroundings in 1996. Under the stewardship of Archie Gemmill and John McGovern they lifted the Auto Windscreens Shield Trophy against Shrewsbury Town with a 2-1 victory in the final, and on their return to the new look stadium they will be hopeful of a similar performance as they go into the game having found form at just the right time. With both the home and away leg in the play-off semi-final they have lost just once in the last seven matches and although they have only managed five goals themselves, six clean sheets in that time will give them confidence in front of their biggest support of the season.
If the Millers are successful in their attempt it would not be the first time they have experienced promotion with Ronnie Moore at the helm, during his first spell in charge at the club he masterminded back-to-back successes in the 1999/00 and 2000/01 campaigns which saw the club climb from the bottom tier of English football to the old First Division (Championship).
Despite only being in existence for 16 years Dagenham & Redbridge have tasted promotion on a couple of occasions. Having been relegated from the Football Conference into the Isthmian League they returned in the 1999/00 season, their biggest achievement however came in April 2007 when they were crowned champions of the Conference and were an official league club for the first time. Like their South Yorkshire counterparts they have also experienced the Wembley atmosphere, however they suffered defeat in their only appearance going down 1-0 to Woking in the FA Trophy final.
The Daggers finished this season bottom of the play-off pack, however on their way to the 7-2 aggregate win over Morecambe, which secured their place in the final, they smashed a play-off record when the 6-0 thumping in the home tie made them the only team in the history of the competition to score that many goals. In comparison to their South Yorkshire counterparts they have found goals easier to come by in the run in to the season and after notching 23 in their previous 10 games. They will certainly be very highly motivated for what is probably the biggest fixture in their short history.
Rotherham will be boosted by the statistics going into the game as they find themselves unbeaten in all of the six games contested between the two sides. In the 2007/08 league campaign they did the double over their opponents winning 2-0 away and claiming a 2-1 success in the reverse fixture, last season both meetings ended 1-1, however this campaign saw the Millers triumph twice again and with a 1-0 victory away from home along with a 2-0 win at Don Valley meaning they kept the Daggers at bay they will be hoping for a seventh heaven.
Words: Chris Ellison
