Brabin looks for his players to keep their nerve against the Dons

Luton Town lock horns with AFC Wimbldeon in Saturday’s Blue Square Bet Play-Off final as the third and second place finishers battle it out for a place in the Football League.

But rather than doing anything spectacular, manager Gary Brabin is looking for his side to offer more of the same kind of performances they have produced in recent weeks.

On the time away, he said: “We had a little bit of a break away to try and break the week up a little bit.

“We wanted a different environment to keep up the training.

“We’ve just kept on doing the things we’ve been trying to work on in-between games.

“We’ve been trying to make the most of the 10-day period between the last game and this one.

“I’m delighted with the way the players have trained.

“I think you can see they have improved with every game and every week.

“They are showing the type of form they are capable of and it’s a big stage for them to perform on again.

“We can’t let the occasion get to us, we need to continue to do the things we have been doing day-in day-out.”

And Brabin believes it’s the right two teams who are meeting in the final.

He saidL: “They are a good side and I think both sides are in the final on merit.

“It’s been a three-horse race with Crawley, who were the eventual champions, and ourselves and Wimbledon.

“It makes for a cracking game and I’m more than confident the bunch of lads can perform on the day.

“I think we both try to play football in the right way and the right manner.”

But the Town manager feels that they had the tougher path to the final after seeing Wrexham off in the semi-finals 5-1 on aggregate, while AFC hammered Fleetwood 8-1 over the two legs.

He said: “I genuinely believe Wrexham were tougher opponents, with respect to Fleetwood. They’ve had a great first season in the league.

“I think we had the tougher of the two games but that’s taking nothing away from Wimbledon who won both games convincingly.”

And while wary of the threat posed by AFC - especially their front two of Danny Kedwell and Kaid Mohamed - he is confident in the abilities possessed by Town’s stars.

He said: “We are aware of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and don’t take anything lightly.

“Their side has been a winning formula of late and it’s no surprise to me (that AFC manager Terry Brown said he was going to name the same side that beat Fleetwood 6-1 at home) - we’ve got to concentrate on ourselves and it’s something I strongly believe in.

“Getting the best out of the players we’ve got.

“I’m concentrating fully on our next game.

“They need to start showing the type of potential they’ve got and I think they’ve starting to do that in the last few weeks.

“I wanted a group of players competing for the 11 shirts and I’ve got my wish.

“We are not relying fully on one person scoring goals, we’ve got people scoring throughout the side.”

The Hatters have also spent some time taking penalties, just in case, but it’s almost impossible to replicate the pressure they would be under on the day.

Brabin said: “We try to leave no stone unturned.

“It’s really important to practice penalties. But when it comes to a nerve-racking situation where the pressure is on you and the crowd is behind you you can’t practice that enough.”

And he admitted the perfect and large playing surface at the City of Manchester Stadium will mean there are no excuses if Town don’t step up to the mark.

Brabin added: “I think it’s an improvement for both teams to play good football.

“I think we’ve played some fantastic football on good pitches this season.

“It should be a bonus and limits excuses when you have a perfect pitch and the onus is more on the players to perform.

“All players want more time and space on the ball. We are no different and we’ve got some good footballers who will use that well.

“Whether it’s a good pitch or a bad pitch I want the players to set themselves up the same.

“I’m sure they will enjoy playing on a big pitch and we will make the most of it.”