Linnets boss ahead of Chorley play-off: ‘We are massive underdogs’

Adam Lakeland has said he will relish the underdog tag once more as he takes King’s Lynn Town in the National League North play-offs.The Linnets travel to Chorley in the play-off eliminator tomorrow night and the odds are heavily stacked against them with the Magpies unbeaten in their last 13 home games.But Lynn have a habit of producing the goods against the bigger sides when it matters and manager Lakeland is adamant his side can give their league rivals a bloody nose on Tuesday.Lakeland said: “I’ve always worked at clubs where I’ve had to find ways to be competitive and get results with underdog clubs and underdog teams, and that’s led me here.”We’re not always the underdog here because we’ve got that label of being full-time on our back and everybody expects us to do well, which is fine.”But I do think in this game on Tuesday that we are massive underdogs, yes, absolutely, because home advantage is massive in the play-offs, especially when you’ve got good home form, which Chorley have.”They’ve got the experience of always being there or thereabouts and playing these big games. “But I do think with home advantage comes a lot of pressure. “We can go up there and not play free, but there’ll be a lot less pressure on us going up there than there will be on them, and hopefully that’ll sway in our favour.”But we’ve got to perform because I have no doubt they will.”Lynn’s boss acknowledged that it will take maximum effort from everyone to see the club book their place in the play-off semi-finals. And having already beaten the likes of Brackley Town, Buxton (twice), Scunthorpe United, Kidderminster Harriers and his former club Curzon Ashton this season, Lakeland sees no reason why his players can’t add Chorley to that list.”Yes, I think you’ve always got to put in maximum effort,” he said. “Chorley’s a real tough place to go, but we’ve been to many tough places this season and got good results.”I think when you get to this stage of the season and you’ve got play-off games, everybody’s up there on merit because the good teams are the best seven teams in the division across 46 games. “Play-offs are just one-off, isolated games and we know what this league’s like.”In one-off games, anybody can beat anybody, so there’s no reason why we can’t go up there and beat them.”A trip to Scunthorpe United awaits the winners on Saturday.