Cambridge United face Altrincham on Sunday afternoon (4pm) in our final home league game of the season, seeking a fourth successive win to secure second place and, potentially, even the title.
Even if United win, automatic promotion depends on the result at Torquay United, where we need the Gulls to beat Burton and the right amount of goals in both games to overcome Burton's four goal superior goal difference.
With the Main Stand sold out and less than 1,400 tickets remaining for all other home areas, there is no doubt that the U's will receive the right amount of backing on Sunday.
The U's are currently second, three points behind leaders Burton with 85 points from 45 games, while Altrincham are 15th with 55 points from their 45 games. United are odds-on at 1/5 to win on Sunday with our online betting partners bet365, the draw is 9/2, while Altrincham are 10/1 for the win. Click here for all the match odds including some generous match specials.
Team News
Gary Brabin's main doubt before the match is winger Courtney Pitt, who missed last weekend's win at Salisbury. A few of the squad are managing niggling knocks and injuries, but Phil Bolland and Danny Crow returned from injury last weekend to give the U's boss almost a full squad to select from.
Brabin is confident that his men are fully focused on their task of securing a win against Altrincham and will not be deflated should our late title challenge come to nothing: "Sunday is important and we'd love to get automatic promotion, but if that's not the case then we're right mentally for the playoffs and hopefully we'll get promotion that way.
"I'm delighted and proud with what we've done this season," he added. "We've won nothing yet, but for us to take it to the last game of the season with a chance of the title is full credit to the lads. We've had a young side and it's our first season together, we've got a realistic chance of promotion, and the lads have played some fantastic football at times.
"There has been a lot of talk about this game, but if we conduct ourselves in the way I know we can then I'm confident we can get three points."
After trailing Burton by 21 points in January, both club's form since then leaves United just three points adrift but needing an emphatic home win today and Torquay to beat Burton comfortably at Plainmoor to have a chance of the title, but Brabin wants his players to concentrate solely on the matters within their own control:
"It's important we focus on our performance as opposed to the result, and concentrate on ourselves as a team and as individuals. If our performance is right the result will be right, and what happens elsewhere is out of our hands," he stressed.
"Torquay v Burton is two teams who both need a result and they're going to be feeling a bit of pressure, but that's out of our hands and we can't worry about what's going on in other games. We have to concentrate on giving a good professional performance ourselves."
With the Main Stand sold out in advance of the game, strong advance ticket sales for all other areas of the ground, and over 1,700 season tickets already purchased for next season, Brabin spoke highly of the supporters: "They've been absolutely fantastic. At times they've been a little bit nervy, which is understandable because they want success just as much as we do.
"I just want us all to pull in the same direction and I can assure them that we're trying our best to get promotion, which is what we all want. We'll give it our best shot and hopefully we can give them what they deserve.
"We've achieved our goal of getting in the play-offs and we've got a free shot of winning the title, which is a fantastic position to be in. We'd have taken that at the beginning of the season, but we're focused because we've won nothing yet."
The Opposition
After escaping relegation on a technicality in the last two seasons, and going into the final game in each of the last four seasons with the threat of relegation hanging over them, Altrincham have already secured a lower mid-table finish this season.
But the Robins players received scathing comments from manager Graham Heathcote this week after their lacklustre defeat at Mansfield on Tuesday, and he has promised that they will not 'roll over' against the U's.
"We've given most of the top sides a good run for their money this season, which I think Burton will vouch for, and we'll certainly be looking to do the same," he said. "We certainly won't be taking the game lightly."
His words will not surprise Brabin, who spoke highly of his Robins counterpart: "People talk about 'managers of the year' and for me Graham Heathcote should definitely be up there because of what he's achieved at that club.
"They're part-time and have arguably the lowest budget in the league and yet he keeps them in this full-time league, year in, year out, and that's no mean feat. I think this is their best season for years and they've had some good results, including beating us on their turf earlier this season, so they've had a fantastic season and full credit to the manager for that.
"They beat us at their place earlier in the season when we were on a good run and we know we're in for a tough game."
Further Information
Read more about the Robins in Doug Shulman's 'The Other Side' article here, and if you fancy a bet on our match or any other event this weekend please follow this link to visit our official betting partners bet365 - the place where your online betting makes money for the U's.
The Ticket Office is open from 10am until kick-off (4pm) on Sunday and with tickets selling fast for all home areas, non-season ticket holders are strongly advised to purchase their tickets in advance, either in person or by telephone on 01223 566500 (option 1).
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