Rotherham United manager Paul Warne admits he was ready to congratulate Sutton United’s Matt Gray just before dramatic Jordi Osei-Tutu leveller

Paul Warne admitted he almost congratulated opposite number Matt Gray on winning the Football League Trophy moments before Jordi Osei-Tutu’s goal “wounded” Sutton United and set up an extra 30 minutes he did not know was in the regulations.

The 90 minutes ended with Sutton leading 2-1 having scored either time of Ben Wiles’s terrific goal but substitute Osei-Tutu, on loan from Arsenal, scored in the sixth added minute and from there there was only going to be one winner, Chiedozie Ogbene and Michael Ihiekwe securing the trophy with extra-time goals.

Asked what his emotions were before the crucial equaliser, Warne admitted he was resigned to it not being his side’s day.

“I was quite calm, actually,” he said. “I was working out how I was going to speak to you lot after a defeat.

“I considered with about two minutes to go shaking Matt’s hand and saying well done because if you’ve beaten our team you’ve performed really well but I just thought I couldn’t do that.

“I was just thinking if the final whistle went and he ran on the pitch I wouldn’t have the opportunity.

“When Freddie (Ladapo) got clean through, and he’s a really clinical finisher, when that doesn’t go in you just think it’s not our day.

“I didn’t think we under-performed, I just thought first half we looked rusty and nervy.

“I just tried to say to them at half-time you’ve got to relax a bit and I thought our better players did perform much better (in the) second half.

“When it went into extra-time I just felt comfortable that we just looked a little bit fitter - I’m not being disrespectful to the opposition - but we just looked like we had healthier players on the pitch.

“Jordi’s goal was obviously my favourite because when he scored it I know how that feels psychologically and it absolutely wounded them, so I just fancied us in extra-time.

“I didn’t know there was extra-time, I thought it went straight to pens, embarrassingly.

“I started talking to Matt asking if they had any decent penalty-takers and he said, ‘I haven’t got a clue’ because I don’t think they’ve had any shoot-outs like us. Crazy.”

It was a below-par performance during regulation time by the League One leaders, which Warne put down to the occasion.

“I think the lads were tight,” he said. “They were saying at half-time some of them looked really leggy and exhausted and I looked at the data and they hadn’t got anywhere near their usual data.

“It sounds a really stupid thing for a manager to say but I was quite glad we conceded. I thought there might be a reaction and there was and at the end of the first half (after Wiles’s equaliser) we were a lot better.

“The second-half performance was a lot better.”

He has no concerns about that weariness spilling into a promotion race which tightened still further at the weekend. The Millers are now only top on goal difference from Wigan Athletic, who have a game in hand, and a point ahead of third-placed Milton Keynes Dons.

“It’s just a psychological legginess,” he argued. “You play at Wembley, your mouth’s really dry, if you play at New York Stadium, it’s the norm.

“You don’t want to let anybody down, you want to be at your best and for this game to be remembered as the best of your career and it just mounts in your head.”

Centre-back Ihiekwe, whose three-year-old son was in the crowd, admitted: “I hit the post just before (his goal), I thought I’d missed my chance!

“When you’re younger, you dream of days like this to come to Wembley, have your family there and win and score.

“We stuck in there when we didn’t play our best but it’s good to know we’ve got that in our locker.”