The pressure’s all on you, Scott
CARDIFF City manager Neil Harris believes all the pressure will be on Fulham when the pair meet in the play-offs next week.
The Bluebirds booked their spot in the post-season finale with a convincing 3-0 win over Hull City on Wednesday night, securing fifth place on a crazy night in which Swansea City ousted Nottingham Forest from the top six.
It means City will now face fourth-placed Fulham at Cardiff City Stadium on Monday evening before playing the return leg on Thursday for the right to feature at Wembley on August 4.
But Harris believes the pressure will firmly be on Scott Parker’s men when the two sides come to blows next week.
“The message is clear: we get into the play-offs when everyone else is on holiday and that’s for one reason, that’s to win”, he said after the win over Hull.
“No other reason. We are not going in to make the numbers up, we are going in because we deserve to be there, we deserve to be fifth in the league.
“There is a bit of pressure on us, but there is huge pressure on Fulham playing against us – a team that should be in the Premier League, given the money they have spent and are now spending.
“We will go and enjoy it.”
Talk, of course, will turn to the prospect of an allWelsh final, given the Swans will have their own play-off tussle with Brentford.
The City boss wouldn’t be drawn on a South Wales derby final, but admitted the prospect of having both rivals still in the mix in the play-offs was something he never believed was on the cards.
“I didn’t see that happening, that we would both get in the play-offs,” he added. “I just couldn’t see it. But both Welsh clubs deserve it.”