Bradford City v Carlisle United: League Two play-off 'as big as the Premier League' for Mark Hughes as he looks for mental balance

The play-offs will be a new experience for him when Bradford City host Carlisle United on Sunday night but it will feel every bit as important to him.

Hughes wants his players to feel the excitement of the occasion in front of a crowd set to rival Monday's 22,000 excitement, but not to think ahead of themselves.

"In terms of the emotion, it's very similar," he said when asked how the play-offs will compare to other big games he has been part of.

"You sense a real expectation. I'm excited about the game. It's a huge game. Given our platform and the fanbase we have, it makes it a huge game at this level.

"It's the same in what it generates as a game in the higher leagues. For us involved, this is more significant because we're involved in it.

"For us it's the biggest game. There are big Premier League games and relegation matches this weekend with huge amounts of money involved but it pales in comparison to what we feel about this game."

The danger is getting carried away, but Hughes is confident his players will not fall into that trap.

"I don't sense that will happen with us,” he said. “I'm always promoting you should be excited not anxious. I think we’re very focused.”

For captain Riche Smallwood it has been more about calming family members down than team-mates.

"It's hard," he acknowledged. "It's different to the league with something else potentially at stake. You have family looking at hotels, where they're going, what they're doing, who's going, who's driving.

"You've just got to knock them down a peg or two. We're not there yet.

"But families are families, friends are friends, they just do what they want and say what they want. They don't really understand the build-ups to these games so we've got to try and educate them, I suppose.

"But I don't think they're every going to change."

There is also staying level during a game.

"We've been guilty of that in the past where we've conceded and tried to equalise in the next minute when sometimes you just need to let the game die down before you get back into it," he admitted. "Recently I think we've got better at game management."

Monday's crowd was the highest in a Valley Parade league game for 70 years despite the fact it is the Bantams' home form which cost them automatic promotion.

"It's unbelievable support," said the former Hull City and Rotherham United midfielder. "Supporting a club is like a religion, they absolutely love it and adore the players.

"They can see the fight and the effort we put into every game. I think that's why they keep coming out to support us.

"Right through the season we've had 15, 16, 17,000 crowds and towards the end a lot more than that so we're just trying to give something back."

Bradford are not used to two-legged football, but Smallwood says they will be treating it as a one-off game, rather than trying to set-up the second leg at Brunton park six days later.

"We just take the game as it comes and try to win it as comfortably as possible," he said.

"We're not looking forward to next Saturday yet but if are ahead it will give us a lot of confidence.

"It feels like we've been playing must-win games for a while and the resilience we've shown says a lot about the character of the group."