IF this was Jason McAteer's last chance to finally get his hands on an FA Cup winner's medal then he has blown it.

In all the razzmatazz of the big preview for this all-First Division semi-final, the Sunderland midfielder suggested this was, more than likely, his last opportunity to succeed where he failed in 1996 with Liverpool.

It was also McAteer's intention to steer clear of any personal rematch with Millwall's player/manager Dennis Wise following their much-publicised feud earlier this year.

The Sunderland man did achieve in steering clear of any potential bust-up with Wise but he was unable to keep his head on a tempestuous day.

A slight pull on the shirt of Neil Harris four minutes from time earned McAteer his second booking of the game and his semi-final had come to an end; shortly followed by the rest of the club's hopes.

Both McAteer and Wise are the type of men to wear their hearts on their sleeves and that was more than apparent at the Theatre of Dreams - a venue where Millwall's have been fulfilled with an appearance in an FA Cup final followed by UEFA Cup football later this year.

And Wise, although he ought not to care, truly had the last laugh in his personal duel with McAteer.

While McAteer had to see out the final whistle in the dressing room, Wise was left to embrace match-winner Tim Cahill in the centre circle as the Lions booked their first ever FA Cup final appearance.

Now Wise can set his sights a little higher.

Manchester United on May 22 could be his first major triumph as a manager and there is every chance he could earn his fourth FA Cup winner's medal.

The tone for a tasty affair had been set extremely early on. In fact only 15 seconds had passed when Wise lunged straight into Tommy Smith.

Had that been later in the contest then the former England midfielder would have gone in the referee's notebook a lot earlier than he did.

But, over the years, Wise has mastered the art of tough-tackling without feeling the wrath of the official in the middle.

True, the cheeky cockney has seen red cards over the years, but it is surprising how he has not had many more - only one sending off this season is testament to that.

In the last meeting between these two sides at the New Den in mid-January McAteer claimed Wise was a 'cheat' who should have been sent off on three occasions.

But, although the Millwall midfielder did not shirk his challenges, it was McAteer who was the most fortunate man on the field in the opening half yesterday.

The Republic of Ireland international only picked up a yellow card from referee Paul Durkin after catching Aussie Kevin Muscat as he lay on the floor.

After getting to his feet, the gestures made by Muscat were of the sort that had been expected to be seen being exchanged between Wise and McAteer.

But, in all truth, the highly-confrontational pair rarely exchanged tackles, never mind two-fingered salutes.

At Old Trafford Sunderland's Paul Thirlwell was the man who came stud to stud with Wise on the most occasions.

But it was George McCartney who will wake up this morning nursing the biggest scar from the tigerish Lions star.

Wise's reputation as a little hard man has never stopped growing since his early days with Crazy Gang at Wimbledon.

His career looked to be on the scrapheap after being sacked by Leicester for an apparent clash with teammate Callum Davidson - and that's just a sign of his temperament.

However, Wise has not just made his career by being a no-nonsense footballer, he can play a bit as well.

And Sunderland were well aware of the threat he posed, his eye for a pass always proving dangerous for the Wearsiders.

One thing Wise has never been though is a goalscorer, while McAteer certainly was, during his days at Bolton in particular.

That is why the Black Cats club captain will be a little disappointed not to have opened the scoring yesterday when the score was goalless.

Just seconds before Cahill's strike, it may well have been the 33,000 fans from Wearside celebrating the vital breakthrough. Instead, though, McAteer fired high over the bar from 20 yards after John Oster had squared to him.

That, in end, proved costly.

Sunderland's lack of a killer touch and Millwall's tremendous desire to win the match won through. McAteer's dreams were shattered while Wise's remain firmly intact.