October 2010

Doncaster Rovers’ recent renaissance owes much to a red letter day at the Millennium Stadium in 2007, where a victory helped to kickstart a rise up the ranks from League One to a highly respected Championship side.

And as advocates of the competition go, chairman John Ryan takes some beating – just like his side in Cardiff three-and-a-half years ago.

Mr Ryan has been a long standing admirer of everything Johnstone’s Paint has contributed to the Beautiful Game, with a replica trophy still taking pride of place in his club cabinet.

He said: “The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is a great competition. Our victory at the Millennium Stadium was something special for the fans to savour.

“It gave us a taste of what was to come for us and playing in front of 60,000 was of huge benefit to the team.”

Mr Ryan said that the game played a bigger part in the club’s recent history than many people realise, acting as the perfect preparation for Rovers’ Wembley triumph in the League One play-offs a year later.

He added: “The lads got used to the big atmosphere by winning the trophy. There were 75,000 fans for our play-off final with Leeds and it was a similar situation for us.

“But we had got that big match experience under our belts and that definitely played its part.

“The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy was a fabulous springboard for us, for sure.

“We had a wonderful area-final against Crewe Alexandra in front of about 13,000 supporters that year, and we’ve got some memories that will last us a lifetime.

“The trophy shouldn’t have one single detractor, as it plays a huge part in the domestic league calendar. We can vouch for that!”

Doncaster Rovers’ triumph over Bristol Rovers remains the most scintillating final in the four year history of the competition.

The Yorkshiremen got off to the perfect start when a tap in from Jonathan Forte and a brilliant finish from Paul Heffernan put them 2-0 up within the first five minutes.

But after a brave fight back from Rovers, the game finished 2-2, with the match going to extra-time.

With just minutes remaining, a Sean Thornton corner was headed home by skipper Graeme Lee (pictured) to cap a pulsating game of football and a perfect advertisement for the competition.

Johnstone’s. Bringing colour to the beautiful game.