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Mark Cooper warns Swindon team Wembley date is far from booked

Swindon Town manager Mark Cooper during the Sky Bet Football League One match at Stadium:MK, Milton Keynes.
Image: Mark Cooper: Issue rallying call to players

Swindon manager Mark Cooper insists his side know they have not reached Wembley yet even though a draw at home on Monday will see them to the play-off final.

The Robins took a massive step to reaching the League One play-off final at the national stadium when they defeated Sheffield United 2-1 in the semi-final first leg at Bramall Lane on Thursday.

With no away goals rule in force, the result means that if Cooper's men avoid defeat on home soil on Monday night they will book their place in the final and put themselves 90 minutes away from Championship football.

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The nature of that win at Bramall Lane - courtesy of second-half goals from Sam Ricketts and Nathan Byrne, the latter in the fourth minute of stoppage time - sparked jubilant scenes among the Swindon contingent but Cooper says his men are staying grounded.

"The players in there are calm, they know. There's no hooting and screaming and back-slapping. They know it's half-time," he said.

"We were losing at half-time in the first leg so anything can happen.

"It's going to be tense. It's never easy is it? We know we have to be really professional because we have a really tough job to do to beat Sheffield United.

"We try not to put the players under too much pressure.

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Swindon manager Mark Cooper gave his reaction to his side's win over Sheffield United thanks to Nathan Byrne's late strike.

"We try and keep them calm and when they realise that the way we ask them to play, sometimes they will give the ball away and we have to be solid behind the ball when we do turn it over, but if we don't do that we're not as effective."

Underdogs

Blades boss Nigel Clough believes there is no pressure on his side, despite knowing they have to win to avoid an eighth unsuccessful play-off campaign and a fifth year in League One.

"We need one goal, it doesn't matter when it comes. We have gone from being pretty even to them being very, very strong favourites so the pressure is all on them," Clough said.

"They are in front and they are strong favourites. We are the underdogs as we have been when we have gone to Aston Villa and QPR, places like that.

"We have to play as we can, if we get half a chance hopefully we can put them away this time.

"One goal will change the tie immeasurably. A goal at any time, even if we go a goal down which I hope we don't, a goal for us at any time is massive.

"We will try and take that sense of injustice and anger of Thursday night and bottle it until Monday night."

Watch the second leg live on Sky Sports 2 on Monday - coverage starts at 7:30pm.

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