Watch the Gaffer's pre Bradford interview here…
The Gaffer on the excitement building towards Saturday's derby…
We're really looking forward to this fixture and been looking forward to it all season, to be honest. We like the derby games, getting stuck into to the heat of the battle and they don't come any bigger for us at this level than Bradford City. We've enjoyed them over the years, the battles with York City and now at this level we're playing against the likes of Bradford with their rich history and the fanbase, they'll bring in lots of fans.
It's just the overall atmosphere and we know that it's a big game for us as a club. Bradford will have high expectations and we know we're right to be the underdogs. We clearly are again and we're going to do our best.
You'd like to think it will be a full capacity crowd on Saturday, who will be absolutely buzzing and inside our tight, smaller stadium, it'll feel like we've got a lot more than probably the three and a half thousand that we're hoping for.
These are good occasions that we've been looking forward to and aspiring to be part of over the years and now we're at this level, we want to relish every occasion.
On the 3,000+ crowd vs Scunthorpe earlier in the season and a reflection on Mansfield…
I thought that on that occasion, the lads really rose to the challenge, every single one of them, and we'll be asking for more of the same. We thought it was a positive performance against Mansfield the other night. The fans were great on the evening and really did chant for the players like Brahima, which was really good for the players themselves. We've got some young lads out there and it's great for them to experience a real positive atmosphere within our stadium. On Saturday, it should be electric.
The passion and the energy was on show (against Mansfield). We were sharp when we got the ball, drove at the opposition and we got lots of pace into the line. I thought the spark and the real identity as what is being formed as our identity over the last few years was back and we've got to show that consistency now and reproduce it.
On whether Rory McArdle and Lewis Richards will be fit for Saturday…
We're having them scanned and then we'll know more but it's early stages being less than 48 hours. We'll have to see but hopefully they'll be back on Saturday.
On the key things needed for success in a derby game…
Nail the basics. There's a lot of pride at stake and we're aware that 1:00 kick off fans will have more time on the Saturday night to either drown the sorrows or to be happy and share a drink with friends and family. We definitely want to go home as winners.
#ProudToBeTown