Rotherham United show they can get the job done by winning EFL Trophy but only after the tightest of squeezes

Whether it was class or superior fitness, it eventually told when League One Rotherham United beat League Two Sutton United in the Football League Trophy final but they certainly took their time over it.

On the one hand, you could worry about the fact that when the big occasion came around, the Millers got stage fright. For a club with quite a few big occasions pencilled in this month, it was not a good sign.

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What is a very good sign is that once again the promotion-wannabes got the job done. Just.

DECISIVE: Chiedozie Ogbene (right) celebrates the goal which put Rotherham United in front for the first timeDECISIVE: Chiedozie Ogbene (right) celebrates the goal which put Rotherham United in front for the first time
DECISIVE: Chiedozie Ogbene (right) celebrates the goal which put Rotherham United in front for the first time
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Eventually, they found a couple of players who could rise to the occasion.

In fairness, Ben Wiles had shown his class early on with a finish worthy of Wembley but it took until the sixth added minute for Jordi Osei-Tutu to show why he is on the books of Arsenal, and until extra-time for Chiedozie Ogbene to do what he does for fun in Republic of Ireland green, and score a decisive goal.

Michael Ihiekwe's to make it 4-2 was just the icing on a cake which will have left a very bitter taste in the mouths of their valiant opponents. Sutton deserved better but football does not always work like that and the teams who can pull off heists like this can also pull off promotions.

Rotherham's players might not have thought it had they been pitchside to see Paul Chuckle and Tim Vine deliver the trophy on the back of a pizza delivery motorbike before kick-off, but any game, any opponent, at Wembley has to be taken seriously. After all, Sutton had already seen to Wigan Athletic, the team level on points with Rotherham at the top of League One with a game in hand.

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Even after Wiles's brilliant goal ought to have calmed the nerves, Rotherham seemed all too aware of the gravity of the match.

They had looked nervous right from the start, Ollie Rathbone - normally so assured with a football at his feet - swiping at a clearance near the byline and fortunate to see it go out for a goal kick, Dan Barlaser attempting a Hollywood ball and picking out former Rotherham player Rob Milsom rather than current one Ogbene. Ihiekwe surrendered possession attempting a simple pass inside.

It looked like they had got away with it, David Aijboye's dribble teeing Will Randall up for a shot he put into the side netting.

When you are playing against a higher-division side, you bank on getting one good chance and having to take it but the Millers were more generous than that.

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Although they began to play more in Sutton territory once behind, their accuracy left much to be desired.

Rathbone's attempted flick to Josh Kayode, preferred to Freddie Ladapo, went out for a goal kick and having shown great determination to come out of defence and win the ball, Richard Wood then backheeled it back to the opposition.

Rotherham failed to deal with a corner on the half-hour, the ball back in bouncing off Smith, doing a lot of tracking back, and falling for Randall to lay off for Donovan Wilson to score.

It did nothing to shake them out of their bad habits, Joe Mattock having a pass cut out, forcing Smith to get back again and put himself in the line of the shot. But soon after he too tried an over-elaborate switch of play when what his side needed to keep it simple for five minutes.

The frustration in the Rotherham end was building.

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"Sort it out Warney," screamed one of many frustrated fans. It was one of the few printable outbursts.

Then, from nowhere, Smith flicked on a 43rd-minute long ball from Viktor Johansson, Kayode controlled it and laid it back and Wiles curled a wonderful goal.

It looked to have done the trick, Rathbone forcing a low save and Smith hooking a near-post shot at the goalkeeper to end the half. It probably toned down the half-time team talk and maybe delayed the introduction of substitutes.

A good move down the left ended with Wiles shooting at Dean Bouzanis from a tight angle in the 48th minute but Sutton showed they were made of sterner stuff, going down the other end to score. When Ihiekwe blocked Craig Eastmond's initial shot he poked an excellent finish in with the outside of his boot to restore the lead.

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Rotherham pushed and pushed for an equaliser without convincing.

Miller cut inside and had a shot deflected over, Smith missed the target from an Ogbene delivery and a deflection took the sting out of Wiles's shot.

Meanwhile, Sutton carried a threat on the counter-attack, Isaac Olafe hitting the side netting.

Rotherham changed to a 4-4-2 and brought on Wes Harding and Freddie Ladapo, who combined in the 70th minute but the looped header was saved as, more excrutiatingly, was

Ladapo's attempt when through one-on-one.

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It had one of those days written all over it. It turned out it was, but not for Rotherham.

In the sixth of seven added minutes, another ball in the box was touched into the path of Osei-Tutu, who finished with the class and calmness of an Arsenal loanee rather than a desperation substitute.

It seemed to break Sutton, who had lost centre-back Ben Goodliffe to cramp with what turned out to be 50 minutes left and had been doing a lot of running in the direction of their own goal against a super-fit team.

It was seven minutes into extra-time when a long ball was worked into the path of Ogbene, whose smashed finish was international class.

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Ihiekwe then hung in the air to head in Shane Ferguson's corner with eight minutes left.

A team who needed them three times to get to Wembley had pulled off a smash and grab without a penalty shoot-out.

Squeezes do not get much tighter but honours boards never take any notice of that.

Rotherham United: Johansson; Ihiekwe, Wood, Mattock (Ferguson 81); Barlaser (Lindsay 90); Ogbene, Rathbone (Harding 61), Wiles, Miller (Osei-Tutu 81); Smith, Kayode (Ladapo 61).

Unused substitutes: Edmonds-Green, Chapman.

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Sutton United: Bouzanis; Kizzi, Goodliffe (Rowe 73), John, Milsom (Wyatt 81); Ajiboye, Eastmond (Davis 81), Beautyman, Randall; Bugiel (Bennett 81), Wilson (Olaofe 66).

Unused substitutes: Nelson, Boldewijn.

Referee: S Stockbridge (Tyne and Wear).

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