Rotherham lift Papa John’s Trophy after fightback sinks Sutton in extra time

This is not the competition that will define whether Rotherham United deem this a successful season but after Jordi Osei-Tutu’s 96th-minute equaliser ensured a topsy-turvy game went to extra time, they put their foot down to secure what they hope will not be the only silverware of the campaign. A stunning strike by Chiedozie Ogbene, who recently scored for the Republic of Ireland against Belgium, registered Rotherham’s third goal of the afternoon to set them on their way to lifting the EFL Trophy before Michael Ihiekwe sealed the comeback against Sutton.

With their promotion quest on the back burner for the weekend, Rotherham came into this game as favourites but the League One leaders were faced with a team with little appetite to hang around League Two for long and seemingly no care for expectations. At the start of the season the Sutton chairman of 26 years, Bruce Elliott, present for the club’s last trip to Wembley, when they lost to Bishop’s Stortford in the 1981 FA Trophy final, and manager Matt Gray set out a 50-point target, which they surpassed with three months and the small matter of a cup final to spare.

The precursor to kick-off was surreal – Paul Chuckle and Tim Vine, celebrity fans of Rotherham and Sutton respectively, whizzed round the pitch on Papa Johns-branded mopeds before delivering the match ball on to a plinth – and the match itself was equally entertaining. Richard Wood, who scored twice in Rotherham’s League One playoff final win here in 2018, got up for an early header but it was Sutton who had the first real sight of goal. David Ajiboye did the leg work, storming forward and evading four red shirts before laying the ball on for Will Randall, who dragged wide.

Both teams had won one of their