Miller.

DESPITE a long and distinguished career in football, Cardiff City striker Kenny Miller still has one ambition left to realise – to play at Wembley.

The 32-year-old might have nearly 500 club appearances under his belt as well as 58 caps for his native Scotland, but a trip to the famous west London venue, whether the old or new version, has so far eluded him.

Miller has perhaps his best opportunity to put that right tonight when he and his Bluebirds’ team-mates welcome Crystal Palace to the Welsh capital for the second-leg of their Carling Cup semi-final.

Cardiff trail by just a single goal from the first-leg two weeks ago and manager Malky Mackay and his men believe they can now turn the tables in what should prove a fervid atmosphere at a sell-out Cardiff City Stadium.

For Miller, who was Mackay’s key purchase last summer costing £850,000 from Turkish club Bursaspor, a trip to Wembley would be another great achievement in what is so far proving an excellent first campaign with the Bluebirds.

“It would be my first time ever at Wembley. It’s a stadium I’ve never played at, the old or new one. Personally I would love to make an appearance there,” said Miller.

“It’s a magnificent arena. It’s a place where maybe you only get the chance to go rarely so it would be a massive achievement for a club like us to get there.”

Miller and his team-mates know their passage to a potential final is going to prove a tough one tonight.

On the weekend Palace boss Dougie Freedman rested nine of his first team players for their Championship clash at Blackpool with one eye on tonight’s tie.

The Eagles’ lost that game 2-1 thanks to a last minute Tangerine’s goal.

At the same time, a full-strength Cardiff side were performing their own late heroics when Craig Conway grabbed an added-time goal to earn a 3-2 home with over Portsmouth.

It was a result which cemented Cardiff in third place in the Championship.

Miller believes Cardiff will be boosted by their Pompey fightback and said the fact Palace rested their players will have little bearing on tonight.

He said there was also the desire to put right that 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park two weeks ago.

That was a tight encounter which Cardiff dominated early on, but lost out in thanks to a strike from Anthony Gardner just before half-time.

There was a sense of injustice that night too, when what looked like a perfectly good header from Miller was ruled out by the referee for pushing in the box.

“We rested a load of players before the first leg and got beat,” said Miller.

“This league is what it is, there’s games every few days and you get used to it. We’ve played Saturday, but we’ll be ready to go tonight no matter what.

“I don’t think there was much in it when it comes to my goal in the first leg.

“I think it was one of those where the referee feels it wasn’t a corner. He’s got that in his head so he knows he’s going to blow the whistle and give something.

“The fact we have scored from it was frustrating and it was a frustrating night for us to be honest.

“We dominated the game and must have had a lot of shots on goal. Things just never really fell for us on the night. We did not manage to make the break through so it is frustrating that goal was never given.”

Despite the deficit Miller believes he and his team-mates do have the measure of their visitors tonight.

In their Championship encounter in the Welsh capital back in November the Bluebirds emerged 2-0 winners.

Although they did have to wait until nearly the 70th minute before Miller made the breakthrough with Peter Whittingham adding the second with 10 minutes left.

Miller believes there is a lesson to be leaned from that encounter and that lesson is patience.

“This is the third time we’ve played Palace in the last few months so we know the way they are going to play,” said Miller.

“It took us until I think the 70th minute at home in the league game before we made the breakthrough and we got another one just after to win 2-0. So we know what it’s all going to be about.

“We will have to be patient. If we can get the early goal, great and hopefully that will lead to an exciting night.

“But we know that if it’s still 0-0 and we get to half-time we know we are more than capable of coming out and going for it in the second-half.

“We know we can stay patient and that will be the key word.

“Just because we are 1-0 down we don’t need to be throwing things forward to try to get the early goal. If we keep playing the way we’ve been playing we know a goal will come.”

Miller knows there is still a lot of work to do tonight if he is to make his Wembley dream finally come true.

If the aggregate score is level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes extra-time will be played with away goals only counting after that.

If the score is 1-0 to Cardiff after 120 minutes then a penalty shoot-out will decide who progresses. But Miller insists if Cardiff can make their way to the final they will not go there just to make up the numbers.

With Liverpool holding a 1-0 lead over Manchester City ahead of their second-leg tomorrow, the winners of tonight’s semi are viewed by most as near certain Carling Cup runners-up.

But confident Miller, whose goal against Portsmouth made it 10 for Cardiff so far this season, does not think that will necessarily be the case.

“Personally it would mean nothing to me if we went to Wembley and got beat,” added Miller.

“It would be a great day out, but if we do get there we want to win it. That would be fantastic to get a bit of silverware for the club.

“The way it’s being looked at is that watching the Manchester City and Liverpool game, this is kind of the final. Whoever wins this has got one hand on the cup.

“They are both massive, fantastic clubs and they’ve earned the right to have that favouritism, but you never know. In a one-off game anything can happen.

“Firstly we want to get past Palace and against Manchester City or Liverpool in the final then you never know what is going to happen on any given day

not my work.

kenny deserves it as do the rest of our team
whether its at wembley or peterborough on a wednesday night kenny miller will give everything he has
absolutely outstanding for us this season

kenny deserves it as do the rest of our team
whether its at wembley or peterborough on a wednesday night kenny miller will give everything he has
absolutely outstanding for us this season