Bolton Wanderers can clinch promotion to League One this weekend should they pick up three points over Exeter City.
The Whites host the Grecians on Saturday at the University of Bolton Stadium aiming to pick up their fifth win in the space of their last six games.
And Bolton can make a return to League One at the first attempt should they beat Matt Taylor's side.
But they will face an Exeter outfit needing to pick up three points themselves to keep their hopes of making the play-offs alive, with the Grecians sitting two points from the top seven heading into the weekend.
Ahead of this Saturday's huge fixture in League Two, Wanderers manager Ian Evatt spoke to the media at a pre-match press conference held virtually over Zoom and here's a transcript of what he had to tell broadcasters.
You’re almost there. How do you feel?
“I feel good, I feel great. I must admit. The lads are in a really good place this week. It’s a slightly different feel to last week, I sensed a few nerves last week. It’s the complete opposite this week really. The lads are determined, they’re relaxed and they’re ready to go.”
Before Man City’s big game in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola suggested the players should really relish the pressure and the responsibility on players to get the job done - is that a fair assessment and similar to how you view it?
“Yeah. I think if you watched the game last night, City were chalk and cheese first to second half and it looked in the first half like they were a bit fearful and like they were a bit nervous.
"Second half, when they had realised there was nothing to worry about or be fearful of, they were outstanding. I said last week, even though obviously this week is more important, last week felt more important if you know what I mean.
"I sensed a few nerves last week with the players, but I don’t sense that at all this week. I just sense a determination to play well and get the job done.”
It’s been pretty remarkable and whatever happens from here on in - you could still win the title - in recent modern football achievements, this is up there isn’t it?
“I think I’ll answer that once the job’s done. For now, I’m fully focused on completing it and it’s important that we all understand, which we do, that it isn’t done yet.
"We’ve put ourselves in a fantastic position, no doubt, and it’s very much in our own hands and we have two games to get the job done. But we want to do it this Saturday and we’re fully focused on that.
"Once it’s done, I’ll answer that question and I’ve got quite a long answer for you to be honest. But for now, let’s just concentrate on doing what’s needed to be done.”
What would your message be to the Bolton fans? You’ve got players who have not played in front of them all season, the club put out a statement for people to stay away, understandably so and the correct advice - what would your message be to the Bolton supporters?
“First and foremost, we have to follow Government guidelines and advice and some things are bigger than football and people’s lives are bigger than football, so we must make sure that we all stay safe.
"We feel a huge connection with them now, which is hard to say bearing in mind I’ve not even met them yet properly, but we can sense it, we can feel it, we know they’re with us.
"It’s a real shame that we can’t have them with us and hopefully we get the job done, but we feel like we’ve built that trust and connection again and that’s what’s really important to us.”
What do you think the approach of Exeter City will be for this game?
“They’ve got to win. They’re still outside of the play-offs, some results went their way and others didn’t on Tuesday. We’ve been in that position as well.
"I expect it to be an open and attacking game. I think Exeter will come, put loads of crosses in the box, flood forwards with runners and it’s just about us then being composed in transition and to make the right decisions and take the game to them. I think it’ll be a good game.”
What’s the team news and latest on injuries?
“We’re all good. Declan’s fit. Sarce is fully fit. We’ve got a fully fit squad. Dennis has trained all week with the first team again.
"It’s only Liam Edwards now that’s out. We’re fully fit, raring to go and I’ve got some decisions to make. I’d rather it be that way than not and that’s what I’m paid to do - make the right decisions and choose the right teams and hopefully I’ll do that on Saturday.”
How has training been throughout the whole week?
“It’s been great, I’ve got to say. They’re in really good spirits. They’re in a slightly different headspace to what they were last week. Last week there was some nerves there, no doubt.
"This week all I see is determination and excitement really. They’ve can’t wait to play and that’s great to see.”
Do they feel as though the finish line and the prize is in sight, let’s get as much training done as we can do and go about it in the right frame of mind?
“Well you have to be in the right frame of mind - you don’t win football matches unless you are and they are, they’re in a good place. They know what needs to be done and hopefully we’ll go out there and do it.
"But the proof is in the pudding and we need to go out there and perform on Saturday.”
Ben Jackson spoke about how pleased he was to be involved in the action and how hard he’s been made to work because of the success of Declan John?
“That’s what I’ve said to them all along and I think I’ve mentioned it in our press conferences a couple of times - the lads out of the team are really important for a lot of reasons.
"One, they have to keep driving the standards and driving the ones in team.
"And two, you never know when you’re going to get your opportunity and it can come in the blink of an eye. That happened for Ben last weekend and because of how he’s trained and because he’s kept himself focused and on the job at hand, he performed brilliantly and won us the game, so credit to him.”
He’s played one or two matches for Huddersfield’s under-23s, as a way of making sure he was match ready whenever he was called upon?
“That was our call really because we haven’t got an under-23s and friendlies. We decided to allow him to carry on playing while he wasn’t starting for us, to keep up with his match fitness, so good for all parties.”
It must have been a thrill for yourself and all of the players to see the fans there outside the Mazuma Stadium - it felt like the biggest lift possible ahead of a crunch fixture?
“It was great to have Sarce back. We’ve missed him, no doubt, he’s the captain of this football club for a reason, he’s a fantastic player.
"In terms of the fans, we all understand and realise that we’re involved with a huge football club with a rich history and a huge fanbase, but because of the pandemic and what’s happened this year, we haven’t seen it first hand and that was the real first glimpse of it.
"We know and understand it was only small numbers, but those small numbers made a huge difference to us and we appreciated it so much and the smiles on everybody’s faces, the special moment we had after the game was great.
"We all needed that, fans, players, staff alike, we’ve worked our socks off this season. They’ve supported us when things haven’t really been going well and we all deserve that special moment that we had on Saturday. Hopefully we’ll have another one this Saturday”
Exeter do need to win this game which means that it is going to be a very open and attacking match?
“I think it will be an attacking match predominantly. They do attack in numbers and get lots of balls in the box, play forwards quickly and have lots of energy going forwards. But it’s down to us then to be calm under pressure and to pick them off in transition and hopefully we can.”
