Toolstation NCEL Division One Play-Off Final
Mick O’Connell is urging his Harrogate Railway players to seize the moment in this afternoon’s play-off final showdown at North Ferriby.
Victory will return Railway to the NCEL’s top flight after a three-year absence.
Railway, the league’s surprise package, are underdogs for the showpiece occasion, but O’Connell backs his men.
“(The message) is ‘go for it’,” O’Connell told Non League Yorkshire.
“We can’t be sitting there at 5pm on Saturday evening feeling sorry for ourselves and having regrets.
“If we perform on the day then there’s no reason why we can’t be promoted by 5pm on Saturday.
“We’re 90 minutes from promotion.
“Ferriby are a good side and I have a lot of respect for them as a club and I have a lot of respect for the coaching staff.
“It is going to be a tough ask in front of 1000+.
“We have nothing to lose and we can go there with no fear.
“We’ll implement our style and if we’re good enough on the day, brilliant, but if not, we’ll have to dust ourselves down and go again next year.
“All in all, we have had a very good season up to now but with the position we are in now we want to kick on and try and get promoted.
“We’re not going there to make up the numbers and we’re not going there just happy to be taking part.
“We’re in a final and we want to go and win it.
“It is a massive task and obviously we’re underdogs.
“We probably started the year as underdogs in terms of where we are as a club with our budget.
“We’re used to being underdogs as we are in most games we play.
“We’re used to carrying the burden.”
Railway endured a nightmare time during their last visit to Ferriby as they were beaten 6-0 back in August.
Times have changed since for Railway.
“We’re a completely different side now,” O’Connell said.
“We conceded a silly early goal that night and we ended up losing our two centre-halves in the first half through injury.
“We had a right-back playing at centre-half and three reserve team players playing.
“Where we were then and where we are now is night and day.
“We have progressed right through the year and got better week-in-week-out.
“We’re in a far better place.”
Railway will be backed by a large travelling following tomorrow and O’Connell is overwhelmed by the numbers.
“I would say 200 and it is unbelievable,” he said,
“In times gone by we weren’t even getting 100 at home games.
“To be taking 200 people to North Ferriby and Brigg is brilliant.
“There’s great buzz around the club and people who you have never seen before are coming down and then coming back.”