Grimsby Town manager Michael Jolley expects Notts County to be fully-focused in Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two clash at Meadow Lane (3pm).
The Mariners face Neal Ardley’s side, who are bottom of the league and two points adrift of safety with two games remaining, in the penultimate game of the season at the weekend.
And Jolley, speaking from Town’s experience in last season’s relegation battle, expects the Magpies to have a clear plan of attack as they look to remain in the EFL.
Speaking on iFollow Mariners, he said: “I wouldn’t want to speak for them, but all I know is last year when we were in that situation we knew that we had to win.
“And that brings a real clarity to your thinking because no other outcomes are possible for you.
“So we had a real focus on how we were going to win the game, and how we went about it last year.
“And sometimes that can actually be a benefit because it reduces the options that you’ve got.
“There’s no uncertainty about what’s needed. When we were in that situation last year it does provide a real focus, and a real clarity, in terms of they know that they need to win the game.
“They’re a huge football club, and they’re the oldest Football League club out there, so I know what’s at stake.”
But Jolley insists that his players must focus solely on their own performance and game-plan ahead of Saturday’s match.
He said: “We want to win the game, and we’ll be trying to do that for ourselves.
“But we understand the situation, and we understand that there’s a big responsibility on us, in terms of the other teams that are down there.
“We’ll be going there to give it our all and do the best that we can for Grimsby Town.
“And, from our perspective, we can just look after ourselves and try and do the best job that we can for Grimsby Town.”
Jordan Cook could return from his injury for the clash at Meadow Lane.
Kristian Dennis will be out for the rest of the season with a hip injury, while Harry Cardwell will miss out this weekend through an ankle problem, and Danny Collins will serve the second match of his two-game suspension.
