Tommy Smith knows precisely what is at stake for Town at Burnley tomorrow — he sees it as a genuine must-win fixture.
Anything less than a victory against a side already guaranteed to be playing in the Premier League next season and Smith & Co can forget about the possibility of joining them in the top flight come August.
Smith, 24, suffered a frustrating Easter weekend as the visit to Watford and the home clash with Bournemouth a mere 48 hours later saw them reap just one point from a possible six, meaning they trail sixth-placed Reading by two points going into the penultimate game of the season.
He said: "Just the one point is always disappointing but we’re still in with a chance so it’s not the end of the world. Obviously, we would have liked to have picked up more points to put us in that pole position but, like I say, we’re still there and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
Being pegged back on Monday by Bournemouth had its own impact on the play-off race but Reading’s home win over Middlesbrough the following evening was a further blow to Town’s chances.
But central defender Smith remains upbeat, pointing out: "It only puts us one point further behind than we were so it’s not the end of the world. We’ll carry on, go to Burnley and we have to beat them before worrying about anyone else. That’s all we are focused on at the moment.
"I believe we must get three points at Turf Moor. I don’t think we can keep relying on other teams dropping points all the time. We need to take the initiative ourselves and make sure we win and take all three points.”
Town’s task will be all the greater should rivals Brighton, sitting seventh with one point more and a better goal difference, triumph at home to all but relegated Yeovil this evening.
Smith added: "Obviously, it’s going to be tough but if we win on Saturday it’s going to go down to the last day, no matter what, and that’s all we can plan for. We want to make sure it does go down to the last day and doesn’t fizzle out before then.”