By GORDON SHARROCK IT shouldn't be necessary but, if it is going to come down to a battle of nerves, Wanderers have what it takes to clinch promotion.

The vast majority of the squad has been there and done it. They've even got the T-shirts and baseball caps to prove it!

No fewer than seven are honoured survivors of the tension-packed Play-off Final of 1995 - the daddy of all nerve-janglers.

So when Colin Todd acknowledges that tension is starting to creep in and looks to his experienced players to provide a steadying influence, there is an abundance of candidates to shoulder the responsibility.

It is comforting to know, for instance, that Keith Branagan, Gudni Bergsson, John McGinlay, Alan Thompson, Mixu Paatelainen, Scott Green and Jimmy Phillips were all involved in that great Wembley fightback that secured Wanderers a place in the Premiership first time round. David Lee, and Simon Coleman also played vital roles in the promotion season - McGinlay, Branagan, Lee and Green having been major influences in the 92-93 promotion from the old Division Three. Their experience will be priceless if the pressure mounts in the coming weeks. But they aren't the only ones who have been through the mill.

Chris Fairclough has seen it all before as have Nathan Blake, Jamie Pollock, Scott Sellars, John Sheridan and Gavin Ward.

Indeed, there is only a handful of the Burnden squad who haven't been involved in successful promotion campaigns

Gerry Taggart went close with Barnsley but it was never an issue for Bryan Small, who spent all his days in the top flight at Aston Villa, or for Per Frandsen and Michael Johansen, who have always played their football at the highest level of their domestic leagues.

Not surprisingly, there's a keen atmosphere in the Burnden dressing room. No-one is getting carried away with the 10-point lead and no-one's been distracted in the slightest by the recent scaremongering. As Todd said after the Reading defeat ended a run of seven successive league wins: "If 21 points from a possible 24 is a slump then I'll accept that." Managers rate experience as one of the most valuable of commodities and Todd is no exception.

"We've got to stay focused," he insists, "but look at the people in our side and there should be no problem experience-wise.

"They've nearly all been through it before and that should really help.

"We got into the Premiership through the back door last time, let's hope we can do it automatically this time round. There's no reason why we shouldn't if we can keep our concentration. The current squad is streets better than the one that went up last time.

"The players who are still here are more experienced and the players I've brought in have improved the team immensely.

"Every team in our division would love to be in the position we are in."

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