He said, "The players shouldn't need lifting. Our home form has been very good and we've been playing very well and hopefully the crowd will help towards that. I'm confident we can get the game won. Brighton are a good team with some excellent young players. However, they're sometimes indifferent, with good runs and setbacks. They're very positive away from home. That's why they have got one of the best away records in the division. Brighton are sure to be a handful, but we know their strengths and weaknesses. We'll try and work on those weaknesses, stay positive, think of how good our home form has been and take that into the game."
Athletic are expecting a bumper crowd
Athletic are expecting a bumper crowd in excess of 10,000 on Saturday and manager John Sheridan acknowledged the fact that the crowd could act as a twelfth man.