Sheffield Wednesday's Play-Off rivals' managers from Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle and the rest on crunch weekend

Sheffield Wednesday know that a win this weekend would secure a spot in the League One Play-Offs – but there are plenty of twists and turns to come.
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So much could have changed by the end of Saturday afternoon, and as things stand only Crewe Alexandra know exactly where they're going to finish in the table.

The current top two could both fall into the Play-Off places if results go against them, and all of the teams between fourth and seventh could potentially miss out on the top six if they don’t get the required results.

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For Wednesday, they know that a win against Portsmouth would guarantee their spot in the Play-Offs, but could still finish as high as fourth with a defeat if other results are favourable. It's very, very tight.

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Darren Moore has spoken a lot about focusing on the next game this season, and now the next game could potentially be the final one – over 33,500 people are expected at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon for the final match of the regular season, and he was very quick to point out that the job isn’t done yet.

A win over Fleetwood Town in midweek meant that Wednesday do hold their fate in their own hands as they head into the game against Pompey, but there will be some anxious checking of phones across the country from 12.30pm on Saturday – and it won’t just be the fans either.

Here’s what the other six managers in League One’s current top seven had to say ahead of this weekend’s finale. It’s safe to say that all of them are practicing a bit of caution at this point in time.

Everything will be decided in League One this weekend - including Sheffield Wednesday's fate.Everything will be decided in League One this weekend - including Sheffield Wednesday's fate.
Everything will be decided in League One this weekend - including Sheffield Wednesday's fate.

Leam Richardson – Wigan Athletic

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“It's still all in our hands, we've worked tirelessly hard and nothing changes… Every single team in the league would swap places with us now, it's that challenging.

“Campaigns don’t change, it’s 46 games. It's just important to stay realistic, and this group of players has done consistently well for us all year.

“The habits will be the same at the weekend as they have been all year. And if you work hard and keep your standards high, you'll normally get the results you deserve.”

Paul Warne – Rotherham United

“The fact this is such a rollercoaster is why everyone loves it… If every team won 46 games, I'd be a very happy man but no-one would be interested. Everyone can beat anyone at any time, you can concede at any time.

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“Even if we don't win at the weekend, we go into the play-offs. You just have to enjoy every day of your career… I go into this weekend full of hope, but there's always the worst-case scenario in your head - that's why I've got no hair and no sleep!”

Liam Manning – MK Dons

“We'll look, but ultimately we control what we can control… We know we need to go to Plymouth needing to win.

“It’s important not to forget how far we've come - where the team finished last season and where they're at now is remarkable.

“We’ve got to step back and appreciate the bigger picture and see how much progress has been made. The players deserve all the plaudits for that because it’s brilliant what the group have done.

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“But, we’ll enjoy it when the season is done because there is still so much football to be played - we won't take our eye off the ball.”

Alex Neil - Sunderland

"The key thing is that it is still in our own hands… Of course, we wanted to win the game (against Rotherham) but I always thought it was going to be a cagey one. But having things in our own hands going into the match is the perfect situation.

"First of all we had to make sure we didn't lose the game, and second of all we wanted to keep things in our hands at all times."

Steven Schumacher – Plymouth Argyle

"The players have got to put a performance in that is worthy to beat MK Dons… They are above us in the league, they have been brilliant all season and it will be a good game of football. I'm looking forward to it.

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"It's going to be some day. Home Park will be full and we are going to need the fans to get right behind us and make it a good atmosphere, like we know that they will, and hopefully we come out on the right side of it."

Gareth Ainsworth – Wycombe Wanderers

“Momentum is great in football. When you’re on runs they seem to continue, and I am fully expecting this to continue on Saturday.

“I think the boys are in a great place and physically, we’ve been smashing the last few weeks and I am hoping that we can put something together which shows how good we are and how far we’ve come.

“I’m really proud of the boys. They have got great momentum, believe and that in a way is success… The boys are really up for this one. I’ve got a group that when they go onto the pitch, they’ve got a strong belief that they can win games."

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Aside from their own, the biggest game that Owls fans will be keeping an eye on will be the game between MK Dons and Plymouth Argyle, with an Dons win taking all the pressure off Wednesday and guaranteeing their Play-Off spot regardless of what happens elsewhere.