McDonald preparing Poppies for 'biggest game of the season' in race for play-offs

In-form Poppies made it seven wins in their past nine matches with a 6-0 midweek pasting of struggling SFC Sudbury on Tuesday night, a win that saw them close to within fifth-placed Halesowen Town with two games in hand.

Fourth-placed Quorn are six points better off than ninth-placed Kettering having played two games more, but a win for the Poppies at the weekend would put McDonald's team into a great position with eight matches of the season remaining.

It has been a fantastic run for McDonald's men, who have turned their campaign round in some style since the end of January, and the Poppies boss now wants his players to grasp the opportunity they have carved out for themselves with both hands.

"We have to focus now on what's to come," McDonald told the Kettering Town YouTube channel. "From where we were when I first came in to where we are now, the boys have done so well.

"They are the ones that have transformed things with how well they are playing, and the dressing room is so good.

"It is enjoyable to work with them on the training pitch, enjoyable going into games, and at this moment the boys are doing so well.

"We are scoring so many goals from set-plays, and we are a massive threat, with Eddie Panter running in behind, or the wide lads taking players on. We are adding strings to our bow."

And he added: "We probably now have the biggest game of our season on Saturday.

"I am hoping there will be a big crowd here and it is going to be a great game.

"Quorn are like us in terms of attacking and getting bodies forward and there is going to be goals in the game.

"I am looking forward to it, the boys are looking forward to it and it is exciting because you want to get to this stage of the season playing for something and the boys have put us in a position to do that.

"I know earlier in the season it wasn't enjoyable, but the place has been transformed.

"The group has evolved and we have given ourselves a bit of hope, and a bit of a chance.

"It's an enjoyable time, but it's only enjoyable when you are winning games, and we have put ourselves in a good position and that has made it interesting.

"We are going to lose games between now and the end of the season, we are not the finished article, but there is a togetherness in the group."

Although confident, McDonald is also wary of the threat Quorn possess: "We are playing one of the best teams in the league on Saturday, and it is going to be a test for us.

"They will come here expecting to win, and we will expect to put in a good performance being at home, having lost only one since I have been here.

"Fingers crossed we can put in another performance like we did on Tuesday and we can get some more points on the board."

Quorn will go into the game also in form, having won five of their past seven games, and on Saturday they were 2-0 winners over Banbury United.