Play without pressure. That will be the message Gavin Macpherson imparts to his players when they step out tomorrow afternoon for our biggest game since that euphoric play-off final just under a year ago.
A seven-match unbeaten run has put us in the box seat for the Great Escape which will be sealed with victory over St Albans in front of what is expected to be a crowd upwards of 2,000.
Anyone who hasn’t yet bought a ticket in advance is advised to do rather than pay on the gate for what will be another momentous “I was there” occasion if we manage to preserve our National League South status (link at bottom).
With two more outings thereafter, even a draw would maintain our six-point lead over St Albans and also keep our noses in front of Salisbury who are also battling for survival.
What we definitely don’t want is our inferior goal difference to end up ultimately playing a part.
“We all know the permutations of winning the game,” said Gavin. “It would far surpass anything this club has ever done. There are no trophies or medals on offer but it would be bigger than what we experienced almost a year ago.”
“To be honest I’m very surprised St Albans are where they are. At the start of the season I thought they might be in a playoff position. Both of us are fighting for our lives so I expect both sides to leave everything on the pitch. It’s impossible for me to have shielded the boys from what this game is about but the message will be to play without pressure given what they have achieved in recent weeks.”
Gavin admits that retaining our Step 2 status in front of our own fans tomorrow would be extra special rather than have to wait till Easter Monday at Boreham Wood, pending results that day. Nor does anyone want it to come down to our final-day showdown at home to title contenders Worthing.
“Ideally you want to maintain your status as quickly as you can,” said Gavin. “If that is at home, it puts the cherry on the cake. It will be terrific to have the majority of the supporters behind us. They’ve been superb all season, filling the away end on a regular basis.”
In terms of team news, John Oyenuga is the only confirmed absentee because of private matter known for weeks. Everyone else is fit to go including the returning Adam Thompson.
“Let’s not forget, St Albans is not quite a winner-takes-all situation,” said Gavin. “If we don’t get the points, we go again. We can talk till the cows come home about what might or might not happen but the fact is, it’s in our hands. The plan is to get it sorted so we don’t have to worry about the last two games.”
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