WHEN I was younger I used to stand on the North Bank watching big matches involving Southend United.

I saw players score big and important goals and the team get promotion by getting vital victories.

Ever since then it has always been my dream to be on the other side of things and be one of the Southend players involved in a really big game.

And I will get that chance tonight when we take on Crewe in the second leg of the play-off semi-final.

This is going to be an absolutely huge game of football and it’s one I’m desperate to be involved in.

Everything is still to play for and we need to approach it like a cup tie when our opponents have scored in the first minute.

We have now have 90 minutes to try and turn things around and we all want those who will now be watching from the North Bank tonight to play their part.

I’m sure the team will do all they can by showing the commitment, desire and hunger to succeed and it would be great to have the whole ground right behind us.

There’s something special about an evening game at Roots Hall and we want that to be the case again tonight.

Our fans have been superb all season but we need them to really crank it up a notch now.

We want the Blues faithful to all make as much noise as they can to make things as positive as they can for us and as difficult as they can for Crewe.

Crewe have a number of young players and they might not have played in an atmosphere like Roots Hall can generate.

It’s therefore something that could really help us and we’re very much still in the tie.

If we win the game then we will at least take it to extra time and it helps us that away goals don’t count double in the play-offs.

We need to attack and score goals but we don’t have to be reckless about it.

The goals can come at any stage of the game and Sheffield United showed that when they won their semi-final against Stevenage on Monday night in the 85th minute.

Something similar would suit us and these are the games you play football for.

They are the pinnacle of your career and test your character and nerve on the big occasion.

There are all kinds of things you have to be able to deal with but nobody wants our season to be over tonight and we will be doing all we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.