Town captain Dara O’Shea has backed his players to handle the pressure ahead of the Blues’ promotion showdown with Queens Park Rangers at Portman Road.

Following Tuesday night’s pulsating 2-2 draw with Southampton, the Championship final day sees a three-way fight between Town, Millwall, and Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League.

Kieran McKenna’s side are in the driving seat, knowing that victory over mid-table QPR on Saturday will be enough to guarantee a return to the top flight at the first time of asking.

O’Shea says he is ready for one final push on Suffolk soil and is relishing the possibility of leading the Blues out on what could be a historic day for the club and its supporters.

“These are the moments you want to be a part of as a footballer,” he said. “Especially for us as a team, this is what we wanted at the start of the season, and we have that.

“To do it at home in front of our fans who have been amazing throughout the season with us, and the excitement and buzz around the game, is going to be special to play in and is something that can’t be underestimated.

“As players, we’ve really got to relish it, build on that excitement and buzz, try and come out and play our best football that we’re proud of, and the club and fans can be proud of too.

“We’ve been in lots of pressure moments this season and we’ve come through well. We’re continuing to grow, we’re continuing to learn, and we’ve learned a lot this season through different things happening.

“We’ve got the backing of our home fans, and there’s no better arena to go out and play in than Portman Road to us. The excitement and confidence that gives us, we’ll take that into it too.

“Of course, an early goal will always be the best possible outcome. There’s going to be tension, that’s how football is and it’s going to get like that. It’s just about handling that in the best way possible.

“We’re playing at home in front of our amazing fans who we know for sure are going to bring the atmosphere and the buzz. There’s going to be tension with them and there’s going to be tension with us, it’s just about understanding the task at hand.

“We’ve prepped all season round for moments like this, it’s about staying together, trying to play the football we want to play, and not get caught up with anything else.”

While Town could have got over the line in midweek with victory over the Saints, their performance and character shown on the south coast will have given them plenty of confidence ahead of this weekend’s meeting.

The momentum from Tuesday’s draw is one that O’Shea says the Blues will look to use to their advantage when kick-off comes around at Saturday lunchtime.

He said: “First of all, it was obviously a great game of football. It must have been amazing to watch for the fans, and it was definitely exciting to play in. Of course, it would have been nice to get a win there to maybe take the other stuff off it.

“It was a great game, I loved how we were in the game and fought back, and how we looked like the team that was going to go and win it at the end.

“It was a great performance from both sets of sides. They’re one of the best sides in the league and probably the most in-form team as well.

“To go out and put a performance in away from home was really promising and sets us up nicely for the weekend.

“We almost would have liked the game to be played straight away after Tuesday. That’s great that everybody has that feeling, it’s a good sign. It’s come at the right time, I think we’re in a great place and we’re really excited for it.

“There will be pressures and there’s different stuff in the games, but I think this team can rise to that and make the most of that. It’s been really exciting this week in training and everyone’s happy and confident.

“It’s about bringing the best version of yourself and putting your best foot forward. If we do that, with the hard work we always give, I think we’ll be in a great place.”

QPR head to Portman Road with little to play for, sitting 14th in the table having been winless in five matches, a run that includes defeats in each of their last three.

“It’s always a difficult one when you play sides like that because you don’t really know what you’re going to come up against,” O’Shea said. “For us as a group, we’ve got to focus on us and we know how we’re going to go about it.

“QPR have got some really talented players and an excellent manager who plays nice football. It’s going to be a tough game and we’ve got to be ready for that, we’ve done all our work and analysis on them.

“The main thing is focusing on us as a group and as a team, going out and delivering the performance that we want to give. If we do that, we put ourselves in a great place.”

Earlier in the season, the Blues claimed their first away victory of the campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Rangers, a match in which George Hirst and Marcelino Núñez both scored twice.

O’Shea would love nothing more than to replicate that performance and result against the west Londoners.

The Republic of Ireland international said: “I remember the game very well. It was a big moment, we hadn’t won an away game until then and that was important. We felt that after the game, it was a great moment for us all.

“Nacho scoring two free-kicks was exciting, but for us to put a performance in and we’ve watched that game back and we see what we did well that day and what we can improve on.

“It’s learning from that and pushing on. Hopefully we can put on another good performance against a team like QPR.”

Asked if he has any words planned for his pre-match team talk, O’Shea said: “Just in the moment and see how things go. It’s a game where there will be no motivation needed, it’s how you feel in the moment.”

Photo: TWTD