Papa John's Trophy final: Rotherham, Sutton fans explain what reaching Wembley means
Ahead of the Papa John's Trophy final between Rotherham and Sutton at Wembley, we speak to two fans about what lifting the trophy would mean for their respective clubs; watch live on Sky Sports Football from 2.30pm on Sunday; Kick-off 3pm
Sunday 3 April 2022 17:12, UK
On Sunday afternoon, Rotherham and Sutton will face off in the 2021/22 Papa John's Trophy final at Wembley.
With both teams challenging for promotion from Sky Bet League One and League Two respectively, it is sure to be a hotly contested encounter.
Rotherham currently sit top of League One, a point clear of second-placed Wigan - who do have two games in hand - with seven games to play, and while Sutton - who were only promoted from the National League last term - are 10th in League Two, yet only two points behind fourth-placed Port Vale.
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Victory at the national stadium may well provide a welcome catalyst going into the final stretch of the season.
As the competition prepares to come to a conclusion for another year, we have spoken to both a Millers and a U's fan to get an idea of what lifting the trophy would mean to their respective clubs...
Fans torn in their views of the competition, but trophy would mean the world"
Rotherham fan Danny Glaves (@DannyGlaves):
The journey to the final has been exciting - but also nail-biting. The 6-0 demolition of Doncaster in the opening game was a spectacle, as it is now the biggest win over Rovers in Rotherham's history. Compare that with the semi-final win over Hartlepool. That was the most stressed I've been at a football game, my hands wouldn't stop shaking!
Rotherham have worked hard in this competition and have been pushed by some decent teams. The fact Port Vale and Cambridge also took the Millers to penalties shows how seriously some sides take this competition.
Thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Viktor Johansson we made it through. I won't repeat how I described him after saving the penalties, but let's just say I owe him several pints in the post season.
I must admit that the fans have been torn in their views of the competition. Many have boycotted it due to the involvement of the Premier League development sides and, looking back at the history of the competition and why it was formed, you can understand why.
Back in 1984, if you were a Third or Fourth Division club, you weren't a full member of the Football League; you were an Associate Member, which is why we had the Full Members Cup and the Associate Members Cup. The FMC didn't last very long as top-end sides had the FA Cup and the League Cup to compete more heavily in. The AMC moulded into the EFL Trophy we know today.
A recent poll I ran among Rotherham fans showed many would like to see the top-ranked National League sides enter the competition to make it more competitive; others just don't want the competition and want to focus on the league.
However, being one of the few to have been to every game, winning the final would mean the world to me. It would mean the world to the players, the gaffer, and all the Millers staff, too.
If Rotherham do win the trophy - and it is still a big if - then we'd be the first South Yorkshire side to win the same competition at both the old and the new Wembley. One for the pub quiz.
But I am hoping it's the only trip to Wembley this season. My wallet is too! If we had to settle for play-offs, it wouldn't do this side justice given how well it has worked this season. Reaching our first cup final in 26 years is, for me, the icing on the cake. Promotion would be the cherry. The league title would be something else altogether.
It is going to be a tough April, but hopefully it starts with a bang. Seven cup finals and one actual cup final to go...
"I'm looking forward to first Wembley visit in 41 years; to pull it off would be incredible"
Sutton fan Dan Taylor (@Gandermonium):
Putting aside the complaints people have about the format - and I count myself as one of those! - and the inclusion of Premier League sides, the Papa John's has actually proven to be a nice little distraction from the league, with it being a new competition for us.
The group stages gave us local games with Crystal Palace and AFC Wimbledon, which helped interest, while highlights of the run were a trip to Portsmouth - another one of those "Ha! We're playing here?" moments we've had one or two now over the last few years - and the semi-final up at Wigan. That was a genuinely special night for everyone there.
We know the squad is not the biggest, so our resources have been used to the full. The rotation early on in the competition helped us keep everyone fresh either by resting or getting them game time and I'd say it actually helped us early on in the season, meaning we weren't flat out with the same XI every week.
This allowed us to get points on the board consistently fairly early on and help retain our EFL status, which was the main aim for this year. The injuries are now building up, however, so I have my fingers crossed some of the lads don't miss out on the final!
As you can probably understand, this season has been a touch strange. Having basically sat out last season because of Covid and had to watch that promotion season via streams on TV and laptops, while the achievement was enjoyed, it felt somewhat remote at times. Like it wasn't entirely real.
Being in the EFL now, being competitive and challenging at the top end so far, as well as having a trip to Wembley to look forward to, it has been a bit non-stop and I don't think anyone will quite get their head around what this side has achieved in the last couple of years until a bit further down the line.
Without doubt, winning the competition would be a huge achievement and the highest honour we've earned as a club. At the moment, though, I think the fact we've got our first Wembley visit in 41 years is the main focus for most people. The game itself is basically a free hit against a side from a higher league, so I don't think anyone would be utterly devastated to lose, but if we were to pull it off, that would be incredible.
The promotion charge has stalled a touch of late, so hopefully we can come out of this special occasion and get back down to it in the last eight games and get the points we need. We never ever expected to be this high up the table this far into the campaign, so everything is a bonus from here - uncharted territory. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how it all pans out!
