Peter Taylor has achieved many things in football but leading Gillingham to promotion at Wembley remains up there with the best.

The Gills beat Wigan 20 years ago today - on May 28, 2000 - after a thrilling extra-time fightback, winning the game 3-2 thanks to late goals from Steve Butler and Andy Thomson.

“The actual game was different class,” recalls Taylor.

“They went to 10 men (after Kevin Sharp was dismissed just before the end of normal time) and then went ahead and when you go 2-1 down in a final you don’t always think you will get it back, you think it is going to be like the year before.

“Thankfully for us we got the goals at the right time and it was a good game. We played some really good football and it was a credit to the division.

“All I remember that day was that we finished with a left-winger, a left midfield player and an attacking left-back and we never stopped crossing the ball from the left side and that’s where the goals come from.

“It was very nice memories, everyone will tell you, if you can be guaranteed promotion in a play-off final you would take that all day long.

“It is without a doubt up there for me. I look at that year for Gillingham and I am very, very proud of it.

“Not only did we have a good season, i.e the FA Cup and getting to the play-off final, I thought we played some good football, I was pleased with that.

“There are always going to be one or two signings that don’t work out as well as you like it, but the majority of players we brought in like Iffy Onuora and Andy Thomson and they didn’t cost a fortune. Ty Gooden, they turned out to be good news for us.

“When the final whistle goes that season you look back at all of those things, how we competed, they way we played good football and we certainly weren’t a pushover no matter who we played. The players' togetherness was a credit to them.”

Taylor had replaced Tony Pulis in the summer of 1999, returning to club football after a spell managing England’s under-21s.

He had taken over a side who had suffered heartbreak at Wembley with a play-off final defeat to Manchester City. Pulis had gone and he had to pick the team back up. He did just that.

Fans were treated to a memorable FA Cup run, reaching the quarter finals and playing Chelsea, having knocked out Premier League sides Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday on the way.

Their Division 2 campaign saw them finish third in the table, two points ahead of Wigan. A semi-final win over Stoke City meant they were heading back to Wembley and around 40,000 fans would be cheering them on.

“I never dreamt I would get to Wembley with a team because I kept losing in semi-finals,” Taylor admitted.

“I twice lost in the semi-finals of the FA Trophy when I was with Dartford and so when we beat Stoke City at home, to get to the final, I was absolutely made-up.

“Everything about the season we were very proud of and to cap it off by winning at Wembley, it’s the best place to win, the worst place to lose.”

Taylor changed systems three times in a topsy-turvy match. Junior Lewis was the man having to fill a variety of positions as the Gills boss tinkered throughout.

Lewis had got the nod to start ahead of captain Paul Smith, which was a big call for Taylor to make.

“Smithy was a good lad and that was a real hard one,” said Taylor.

“It was really between Smithy and Junior. In the end I went with Junior because I thought he had played a bit more football for us, he was left footed and got it off the defenders.

“It was a very tough decision to change a very good captain but Ady Pens (Pennock wore the armband) was a bit of a leader anyway, a very good talker and [picking him as captain for the game] was an easy choice for me.

“It was nice that at the end they both went to get the trophy.

“There are things as a manager you mustn’t think about but you have to do. It can’t be a case of, ‘well I can’t do that because I am going to upset a really good captain’, otherwise you can’t manage.

“There are things you have to do. You can’t think of who you are upsetting, you just have to go and do it.”

Lewis did help make a difference as the Gills were providing plenty of ammunition down that flank for the strikers.

Gillingham had taken the lead in the match and Taylor admitted it was close. It went down as an own goal, in off an Asaba shot. After some debate the goal was eventually given.

Taylor said: “At the time I just took it that it was a goal but looking at it since, corr, it was very close!”

A great strike from Simon Haworth levelled it up. The game would eventually go into extra-time, with Wigan a man short following Sharp’s red card.

Gillingham fans had gone through an emotional rollercoaster the year before, watching their team concede two late goals and then losing on penalties to Manchester City.

Stuart Barlow put Wigan ahead from the penalty spot on 99 minutes after Barry Ashby was adjudged to have fouled Darren Sheridan but Taylor at least knew he had the characters to fight back. They did just that.

Thomson had already been introduced off the bench and Butler came on too. Goals from the substitutes in the 114th and 118th minute clinched the win in the most dramatic of ways.

Taylor said: “You don’t really want people to come off at Wembley but we had to do it to win the match.

“I had a lot of faith in Thomo and the same with Steve. He was the fittest coach you could imagine and he would always get you a goal.

“Ty Gooden and Junior Lewis kept crossing that ball which is why we created so many chances.

“We had some real top blokes, real good spirits, your Ady Pennocks, your Barry Ashbys, they were all different class, really good attitudes. Players like Hessy, amazing characters and even though we would be losing you would have never written those players off, never.

“You don’t forget those days. I couldn’t believe the support we had, 40,000 fans. We showed them that day that we could do it and we could get a crowd together.

“It was a wonderful weekend. We went back to Kent, we got drunk, we celebrated and it was lovely. I don’t think many people went to bed early and quite rightly so.”

Taylor’s efforts with the Gills earned him a move to Leicester City in the Premier League.

He said: “I enjoyed Gillingham, it was good fun with good people and I could easily have stayed there but if someone offers you the chance to go in the Premier League, it’s very difficult to turn down.

“I would hope people would understand. It would have had to be a job like that for me to leave Gillingham at that time because I really enjoyed it.”

A dream come true - match winner Andy Thomson recalls that winning moment

Club legend Andy Hessenthaler salutes a group of players who dug deep to win

Read more on the Gills