Millers want to hold their own Stag party

CUP football has not been particularly kind to Rotherham United over recent years.

They have known too many early exits and that goes, too, for what is now the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in which the Millers travel to take on Mansfield Town.

In whichever guise it has been, Rotherham's record in the competition since they won it as the Auto Windscreens Shield in 1996 is little short of abysmal.

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In the seven seasons since the Wembley success in which they have take part in it, Rotherham have lost five times in the first round and actually managed only one win outright. The other was thanks to the penalty shoot-out lottery.

That outright win was against Shrewsbury, the club they beat in the 1996 final. The other progress was at the expense of Accrington Stanley, then still non-league, on penalties in 2005.

Tonight's opponents the Stags are also one of the teams to have given Rotherham an FA Cup ko at the first attempt in the last five seasons - they won 4-3 at Millmoor in 2005.

Lying in wait tonight will be former Millers favourite Martin McIntosh, the left-sided defender who formed such a successful centre defence partnership with Chris Swailes during the club's Championship days.

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McIntosh, now 36, was released by Huddersfield last season and Mansfield snapped him up. His ability at free-kicks, which was seen rarely but successfully at Millmoor, resurfaced on Saturday when he scored with a 25 yarder in the 4-2 win over Stockport.