That last ever League Cup final was of course Leicester City vs. Tranmere Rovers, as, against all the odds, John Aldridge had guided his side the Wirral side to their first ever major cup final, with Rovers having smashed Coventry City 5-1 and beaten Premier League Middlesbrough 2-1 in the early rounds, as well as a superb 3-0 win over rivals Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals.  Leicester City too had to overcome some tough games, as Martin O'Neill's side edged past Premier League opposition in the shape of Leeds United and Aston Villa by the tightest of margins.
 
And so it was then, that on Sunday 27th February 2000, both sides headed south to Wembley to face each other in the League Cup final, playing in front of a live TV audience and knowing that a victory would mean a place in the UEFA Cup.
 
I was only nine when Rovers played at Wembley, but I remember it so, so clearly.  I went with my Dad by official club coach, it was comfortably the longest distance away game I'd ever been to and without doubt the best!
 
We were on Coach Ten of the many leaving Hamilton Square at, if memory serves me correctly, 8.00am on Sunday morning.  All the journey down, Rovers fans passed in their cars, beeping their horns and scarfs hanging out the window, whilst there seemed to be an endless stream of coaches, constantly overtaking each other.
 
I listened to my Dad's mini-disc player on the way down - the new "thing" that never really hit it off!  I blasted out our Wembley song, "Every ball's a white ball" by Scotch on the Rocks, several times, mixed in with a bit of Oasis and Five!  I can still remember the words to that Wembley song clearly today, and I still have the cassette tape somewhere.
 
On arrival at Wembley, at roughly 1.00pm, the party really started.  Everywhere you looked, there was a Tranmere fan, nearly 35,000 of them, bearing flags, face paint and the special edition Wembley shirt, that I myself wore and to this day keep in my cupboard at home.

Wembley Way was packed as fans from both clubs streamed towards the ground.  There was an excited atmosphere on the bridge, with both sets of fans exchanging friendly banter and just enjoying the day.  I myself remember meeting two really friendly Leicester fans on the bridge, who I had my photo taken with and they wished us good luck for the day. 

 
It really was such a special day, such an atmosphere that in all honesty I and probably most Tranmere fans haven't experienced since. 
 
Once inside the ground, the atmosphere began to build as more and more fans streamed into what would be a packed stadium come kick off.  There were fireworks and a procession on the pitch before kick off, only helping the atmosphere build more and more.  "Simply the Best" was played out over the tannoy, which was Leicester's cup final song, as was a Pet Shop Boys song, that one that we used to sing "Oooh Aaah Davey Challinor" too, whilst waving our hands above our heads in a throw in motion.
 
All the Rovers fans joined in with that one, as well as coming in with old classics like "Super White Army" and "Tranmere, Tranmere, Tranmere".  Hearing that bellowed out by 35,000 proud men and women in white was a sight to behold and something we can only dream of now.
 
The game kicked off and Tranmere did well.  I remember Kelly's goal, the one that was chalked out for offside, and then I remember Taylor blasting over when he should have scored in front of the Leicester fans.  That would have put us 1-0 up.  As it was though, it was Leicester who took the lead first, Matt Elliott heading home after the ball bounced off Murphy's back and went in.
 
Rovers fought to get back in the game, but it looked like game over for the Wirral side when Clint Hill was sent off for a second yellow card on 63 minutes, though had the assistant referee given Emile Heskey offside as he should have been, Hill would never have made the tackle on the future Liverpool and England striker, and as such would never have been sent off.
 
John Aldridge's side battled hard though, determined not to give up, and with thirteen minutes left, David Kelly gave Tranmere fans what no doubt, for many, will be the proudest moment of their footballing lives.

After Rovers won a free kick for a tackle on Alan Mahon, Gareth Roberts pumped the ball forward to Gary Jones, who flicked the ball down to Kelly on the left-hand side of the penalty area.

Kelly, the leading scorer in the competition to date with six goals, smashed the ball past goalkeeper Tim Flowers from a tight angle, beating the England player at his near post with a vicious strike.
 
The sea of white and blue at the Tranmere end errupted.  Grown men were hugging each other and crying.  For many, this was it, this was all they could ask for, a goal in a major cup final, at Wembley stadium, in front of the Tranmere fans.

I remember just being elated.  It was amazing.  It was incredible.  We had done it.  Little Tranmere had scored at Wembley against a Premier League side.  The question that had to be begged now was could we go on and win it?

The answer, sadly, was no.  Less than four minutes after Rovers had scored Leicester re-took the lead.  With the Tranmere fans still chanting "You're not singing any more", Matt Elliott scored a carbon copy of the first goal, the Foxes captain again beating Dave Challinor in the end to powerfully head past Murphy and into the Tranmere goal.

To say I was gutted was an understatement.  But to say I wasn't proud would be a lie.  We were awesome that day, and if a couple of refereeing decisions had gone the other way, we might not be where we are now.  We might have won that cup tie and we may have been in Europe.
 
As it was, it wasn't to be.  But we were still proud.  Little Tranmere from the Wirral became the last Merseyside side to play at the old Wembley stadium, selling out their allocation and out playing several "big" sides on their way to the final.
 
Players who have now become Rovers heroes, the likes of Kelly, Parkinson, Henry, Mahon, Hill, Roberts and Challinor, then took Leicester all the way, despite the Premier League side having players such as Emile Heskey, Tony Cottee, Matt Elliott, Robbie Savage and Neil Lennon.  We had done the impossible, and almost more.
 
It was devistating to lose, but it was a proud, proud day that day we travelled down to Wembley.  I doubt I'll ever see us in a major cup final again, but if I do, I know that like this day, it will go down as one of the best footballing days I will ever have.

We may have lost, but the players did us proud.  They deserved to go down as the Tranmere heroes they have since become and they deserve the acollades they later recieved from the Mayor and the fans.
 
It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful thing seeing such a sea of white and so many people supporting Tranmere Rovers Football Club.  It was the best day I've ever had supporting Tranmere Rovers FC...
 
...A beautiful sea of white and blue lined Wembley Way