Crunch time for Poppies as they head to Bury with play-off fate in their own hands
Liam McDonald is backing his Kettering Town players to get the job done when they bid to cement their place in the Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central play-offs on Saturday.
The Poppies travel to mid-table Bury Town with their top five fate very much in their own hands.
Last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Halesowen Town means Kettering go into the final fixture of the regular season in fifth, with a two point advantage over Halesowen and Redditch United in sixth and seventh respectively.
It means a win will guarantee a play-off place for the Poppies, while a draw or even defeat may also be enough, but that will depend on the results of the side below them going their way.
The Poppies could also still finish fourth if they win, and Needham Market fail to beat Banbury United.
McDonald is excited at the prospect after seeing his side fly up the table over the past three months, and said: “We look to go to Bury now and try to ensure we put in a better performance than we did over the last two games.
"We have to see if we can out ourselves into the play-offs, and looking forward to extending our season, and that’s full credit to the players.
"Managers get the plaudits when a team wins, but it has been 17 games now since we sat down together and had an honest conversastion and the boys have been brilliant over that time.
"Tactically we have a way of playing, which we worked on with all the games being off just after Christmas, and we are now getting the rewards.
"The players have taken everything on board and put us in this position.
"Not only have they been performing, probably outperforming themselves, they have given the fans hope and something to look forward to.
"I have to keep reminding them of that, because we have worked so hard to get here. "It is in our hands, and we know what we need to do at the weekend.
"We will go out and give our best, and if our best is good enough then we are going to be in the play-offs."