THERE’S a spot in the history books up for grabs this weekend, but who wants to take it?

I’m not expecting a classic match when Blackpool come to town on Saturday. It will be tense, nervy, cat and mouse stuff – as these games almost always are.

Fans will have to be patient, just like the players, but I think if everyone pulls together we can go into the play-offs as the form team, and one that no-one wants to play.

It’s in our hands. We need to win. But the club has been in this situation before.

Back in 1993 we had come from nowhere but went into that game on the final day knowing that if we beat Preston, we’d go up automatically. On top of that, if they lost, they were relegated.

They sat back with 11 men behind the ball determined to hang on. It was a horrible game to play in and even though Burnden Park was packed that day, it must have been a horrible one to watch too.

I think if we’d have played that game on any other day of the season, then we’d have put four or five past them without blinking.

We got the penalty. Nudged ahead, and the rest is history.

On paper, Blackpool have nothing as important to play for. Their season finished last weekend and you hope that they will be a bit sluggish when they come to the Reebok.

Nothing is that simple, though, and that bit of rivalry that still exists will make sure they get up for the game. I know their fans will be roaring them on to spoil our day.

It looks like being a big crowd and once again we need the home supporters to do their bit. They really need to back the players like they have never done before.

Then it is down to the 11 lads out on the pitch. There will be a moment that changes the game completely, and you just hope it will fall to one of them.

That’s their chance to etch their name into the history books. When people talk about this season in years to come, you want it to be your moment that is being discussed.

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WHOEVER steps into Craig Dawson’s boots this weekend is going to have to hit the ground running.

We’ve built this climb up the table on being resolute, grinding out results when we don’t necessarily deserve them, and we need one of David Wheater, Tim Ream or Matt Mills to come in and do exactly the same job.

It’s fair to say that all three of them have a point to prove – whether that is because of injury, or because they have found themselves out of the team.

They are all experienced enough to handle what I think will be a very, very difficult game.

Dawson enhanced his career at Bolton, no doubt, but he won’t want to go back to West Brom and kick his heels or play in the reserves.

Whether he wants to come back here, I don’t know. It might well depend on what division we’re playing in.

He’s good enough to play in the Premier League, that’s for sure, and I don’t think there would be any complaints at the Reebok if that were to happen next season.

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NINETY minutes of football at Cardiff City last weekend will have done more for young Josh Vela than a month’s worth of training.

Dougie Freedman put his trust in him, and by all accounts he was one of the best players on the park against the champions as we carved out a very important point.

If you are good enough to be in the squad, then you are good enough to be put into the team for these pressurised games.

If Jay Spearing doesn’t come back next season then I think the club are looking at Josh and thinking he could be the one to play that role.

He knows how to handle himself, he can definitely play, and the fact that he came right through the ranks is a really big thing too.

Lots of people want to see Spearing signed in the summer but Vela is showing why, if that doesn’t happen, it might not necessarily be the end of the world.

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WHETHER or not the Blackpool game proves to be our last at the Reebok this season, I think it is important that the players come out and say thanks to the fans after the final whistle.

I know for a fact the club are trying to build bridges with the supporters and improve their relationship, and this kind of thing goes a long, long way.

Even if things don’t go according to plan, that acknowledgement sets things up for next season. It sends people into the summer in the right frame of mind.

People are still a bit disappointed that the players did not come out at the end of last season against Stoke, and I can understand that. I’m not sure whether the decision was taken away from us because we were away from home, or whether there was an issue about security.

But we know we’ll get a good crowd on Saturday so this is an opportunity that the club should take advantage of, and enhance the mood.

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IT hurts your head to think about all the permutations on Saturday, let alone who you’d fancy playing if we actually extend the season.

But, if pressed, I’d say Hull City (managed by Steve Bruce, right) would be the team I would most like to come across.

I watched them on Saturday against Barnsley and wasn’t particularly impressed. Nor have I been on the four or five other times I’ve seen them this season.

Palace have dropped like a stone too – so I wouldn’t lose too much sleep if we ended up playing them, even though it wouldn’t be until the final.

I’d rather avoid Brighton, who are dangerous, and Watford are also a very clever team capable of creating a lot of chances.

It’s only the fans who will get themselves in a muddle with all this, though. The players just need to get out there, do their job and worry about next weekend when it comes around.

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I UNDERSTAND things are very tight in The Bolton News’ Player of the Year poll – and I’ve cast my vote!

As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, I’ve picked out Jay Spearing as my top man. But Marcos Alonso, who at the time of writing leads the way by a couple of per cent, has certainly been a key player in the second half of the season.

We’ll wait and see how that pans out – but I hope we haven’t seen the last of Spearing (or in fact Alonso) after this weekend’s game against Blackpool.

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IF people knew what great work Amir Khan puts in behind the scenes, I’d bet people would be less inclined to continually criticise him.

Amir got through a very tough fight the other night, and it was a great one to watch from ringside along with Nicky Spooner, David Lee and Tony Kelly.

But I can’t get my head round some of the abuse he has been given by people on Twitter.

He’s a Bolton lad, a Wanderers supporter, and he might well go on and become a world champion again very soon. So why not back him?

The Khan family do so much for under-privileged kids in the local community by putting on mini tournaments, doing things professionally and not for the sake of the papers or the TV.

When Amir comes along to present the awards, it makes them feel a million dollars.

I sat and watched three Bolton boxers win their fights on Saturday night – so I think people should appreciate that and show some pride in what we have got.