THE man who last took Grimsby Town to a play-off final desperately hopes they reach another this season – and go one better than his side did.
Russell Slade led the Mariners to the League Two Play-off final against Cheltenham Town in 2006.
But having reached that Millennium Stadium showpiece – thanks a two-legged semi-final victory over fierce rivals Lincoln City – his Town squad fell at the final hurdle after Steve Guinan's 63rd-minute winner.
And with his former club just one game away from reaching another play-off final, Slade – now in charge at Leyton Orient – hopes they can emulate, and then better the achievements of his 2006 squad.
Recalling that campaign to the Telegraph, he said: "It was a remarkable season back then.
"It was only on that last game of the season that we missed out on automatic promotion.
"Of course we played Lincoln in the semi- final.
"We set our stall out well at Sincil Bank in the first-leg. We made ourselves very difficult to beat and got an excellent result by winning there.
"And then in the second-leg, despite Rob Jones being forced off through injury, we did really well at home.
"I remember the celebrations so clearly – it meant so much just getting to Cardiff and having the chance of going up.
"The final will always wrangle with me because we'd beaten Cheltenham fairly comfortably in the league but the game at Cardiff just wasn't a classic game for us.
"The key thing was losing Michael Reddy early on. It was a key, key moment for us.
"I'm not saying we would have won the game but, in games like that, it's all about fine margins. You're dealing in inches in every area of the field and we didn't perform quite to our best on the day and that proved to be the difference really.
"Things conspired against us which meant that we didn't quite make it on the day."
Seven years on from that desperate Sunday afternoon in South Wales and the current Town squad have a chance to write their own piece of history tomorrow.
Rob Scott and Paul Hurst's squad will travel to Newport for the second leg of their play-off semi-final trailing the Exiles by a single goal after their narrow victory at Blundell Park in midweek.
And Slade will be keeping a close eye on events at Rodney Parade in the hope of witnessing a Town comeback that would see them book a dramatic return to Wembley and a shot at a Football League return.
But, he insisted that it won't be easy to reverse that deficit, adding that Town's mental approach to the second-leg will be key – just as it was for his side in 2006.
"Semi-final games are always difficult because there is so much as stake for both teams," he said.
"For me it's more about having the better mental approach than having the greater quality.
"If you haven't got focus, you haven't got anything. If you're not focused on the game, you're on to a loser right away.
"For me, Grimsby are in the wrong tier and I hope they go up this season because the fan base and the size of the club is much better than the Conference.
"That's how it's perceived, but the players can't let themselves get affected by that pressure to get back into the league.
"I'm sure the crowd will be right behind them, as they were when I was there. They can play a really massive part tomorrow.
"I always look out for their results and I really do wish them well.
"Grimsby Town were responsible for giving me a manager's job back in the league, so I owe them a lot and I have massive respect for the people there."
"I'd desperately like to see them back in the league," he continued
"They need to be back in there, because the Conference, long term, is not the place for Grimsby Town and I hope they can do it this season.
"It's time to get back and the quicker the better.
"I'll be looking out for the result tomorrow, and if they do manage to get to Wembley I hope they can go all the way."
