ROMAIN Vincelot hopes to fulfil a promise to wife Lena by lifting the League One play-off trophy this afternoon.

Wembley will be nothing new for the City skipper, who will be taking part in his third final.

Just like team-mate Rory McArdle, the Frenchman has experienced both ends of the spectrum when it comes to the emotion surrounding these all-or-nothing occasions.

Vincelot was a winner at the end of his first season in England when Dagenham beat Rotherham in 2010 to gain promotion to the third tier for the only time in their history.

But three years ago he suffered the agony of being on the wrong end with Leyton Orient. Ironically, the Millers were the opponents once again in a League One thriller that went to penalties.

Orient were 2-0 up and apparently in complete control but Rotherham came back to level before winning it from a spot-kick finale.

Vincelot remembers that day vividly because it he feared it might ruin his wedding.

“A week later, I got married in London,” he recalled. “I remember thinking before the final, ‘we better win or I will look really miserable on my wedding pictures!’

“But an hour after the end of the final, I was in the dressing room and did think, ‘I am lucky – I have been to Wembley and we lost but in one week I get married. My life is still good’.

“I said to my wife afterwards, ‘We get married together and I will have the strength to get to another final one day’. And here it is – I now have another opportunity.”

The cruel manner of that defeat ensures Vincelot will take nothing for granted against Millwall today. Even if City build up a commanding position, there is the warning about how quickly the picture can change.

“We were still the best team on the day but just couldn’t get that goal to win it,” he said.

“That is how play-off finals can be. Anything can happen. Even if you are struggling the whole game, you can still have your moment from a corner or whatever and that can change everything.

“It happened to us. No-one remembered at the end that we had dominated the game, just that Rotherham had won. They remember them lifting the trophy.

“Even in the penalties, we were ahead. But we missed two and that was it; horrible.

“I was raging because the chance had gone. I wanted to hit something because it was so unfair.

“If you lose 2-0 after being battered, that is life. You accept it. But after we lost I thought, ‘How did this happen?’

“When you give everything like we did, we knew none of us had let anyone down. But it hurt, it hurt a lot.”

Lena will be back at Wembley among the West Yorkshire faithful as Vincelot aims to banish those memories with new ones about steering City back to the Championship after a 13-year absence.

“My wife will be at Wembley, yes. The chance has come round again for me.

“You cannot feel it is unfair and then just give up. You have to believe it will happen again, the opportunity will arrive.

“Maybe it will take until the fourth time for a player to win but you have to be strong enough to get there four times. Never give up, that is the message.

“That is how I felt an hour after the game. I was angry and unhappy but I knew I wanted another chance.

“Winning against Millwall will feel better because of what happened last time. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

As captain, Vincelot would get the honour of lifting the winning silverware to the skies. But he is determined not to get ahead of himself.

He said: “I try not to think about these kind of things. Then, it gives you a bit of adrenalin too early and can make you anxious.

“It would be nice, obviously, but I want to keep all the excitement and adrenalin for the game. Be nice and relaxed.

“My first final at Wembley was another game where things changed a lot.

“We won in the end. But it showed anything can happen on the day.

“You just have to make sure you prepare for every different scenario, not get too down or too excited.

“Don’t lose heart if you are losing. Look at Rotherham against Orient, at 2-0 down they could have thought it was over.

“Nothing is decided until 90 minutes are over. You have to give everything.”

Vincelot has started more games than any other City player this season. Appearance number 51 will hopefully prove to be the most memorable.

“This is a great opportunity for us, something we have worked for and we just have to enjoy it.

“We have been consistent all year round and have produced good football.

“We have had a bit of everything. To end up playing for promotion at Wembley can be the best thing.”