Alan Dunne is one of only two members of Millwall's current squad who was at the club for their FA Cup final appearance in 2004 and still carries the disappointment from the 3-0 defeat by Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium. So the chance to banish the ghosts of nine years ago and reach the climax of the competition edges closer with Sunday's quarter-final against Blackburn at the Den. Victory would set up a Wembley semi-final for the 30-year-old defender who has been a fixture in the Millwall side over recent years but was an unused substitute for the showpiece event against the 11-times winners.
However, Millwall have won only once in the league since New Year's Day and have lost their past three home matches, meaning Kenny Jackett's side have slipped out of the play-off picture. Dunne draws comparisons with the season under Dennis Wise, when players had one eye on the Cup run and were determined not to miss out on the chance to face United.
"It is a very similar season to 2004, our league form dipped at the time," said Dunne. "Players were on eight or nine yellow cards and were worried about injuries and it did affect our league form."
A 2-0 home defeat to struggling Wolves on Tuesday night was not the ideal preparation for the visit of Blackburn and Dunne thinks the current crop of players may be having similar thoughts to those of the 2004 squad.
"Maybe a few of the boys might have had the Cup game in mind, as much as you don't want to," he said. "You try and eradicate it but sometimes it happens and you don't play your best and Tuesday night was not good enough. We know that and the manager knows that so the players need to look at themselves and get that right."
The experience of nine years ago is bittersweet for Dunne, who sat on the bench and watched as a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy's brace won the trophy for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
But he has fond memories of the experience and wants to taste it all again this season. "I had a chance of playing until a couple of nights before so it was upsetting in that sense," he said. "Still, I can't be ungrateful to be part of it and on the bench in a side with quality like Tim Cahill, Kevin Muscat and Dennis Wise. To be part of that is still something to be grateful for and to get a medal is a fantastic achievement. It was a fantastic memory for a young boy, travelling and staying in the hotel the night before, the coach, the fans and going to Europe.
"It was a fantastic atmosphere and as a young boy it just made you want more success. It would be nice to get to Wembley, I think the fans deserve it and the manager deserves it more than anyone. Some of the boys might never get the chance to play at Wembley so to get to the semi-final would be great and breed confidence as well which we can take into our league form."
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