Head coach Damon Lathrope believes the playing surface at Stadium MK can make a vital difference for Watford Women tomorrow (1pm kick-off).

They play Nottingham Forest in the Women’s Championship play-off at a venue they know well and on a pitch that will suit their passing game.

Forest beat Watford 3-2 in the League Cup Final at Burton Albion last month, but that day the pitch was not as lush and green as is anticipated at Stadium MK.

Indeed, Watford played MK Dons there in a league game a few weeks ago and gave a superb display on their way to a 5-0 win.

“The surface and the stadium will certainly help us, 100%,” said Lathrope.

“That’s the reason we tried to get our key games at Vicarage Road, as I believe a great playing surface does give us the edge.

“We played at Stadium MK earlier in the season and probably played our best football there.

“The players are familiar with it, they know how we like to play and having a nice big grassy pitch will be a real benefit for us.”

Of course, Forest may point to the fact that having beaten Watford very recently gives them the upper hand.

“I don’t think the cup final influences it at all,” said Lathrope.

“I’ve thought about that, and in my opinion that was a really good game that could have gone either way. Two good teams having a right go, everything a cup final should be.

“But I don’t think it changes anything we’ll do. We haven’t changed our approach for an opponent all season, we just adapt tactically slightly.

“The way we go about our business stays the same, we’ll be well prepared and we know what we’re coming up against.

“If we see the best version of ourselves then I’m very confident we get the result.”

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The head coach is able to include two players in his travelling party who missed the cup final defeat.

“We’re pretty much got a full squad available to us, apart from the longer-term absentees,” he said.

“When we played Nottingham Forest in the cup final, Anne Meiwald was injured and Sophie McLean was cup-tied but they are both in the squad for tomorrow.

“They are two players who have done really well for us this season, and that gives us a very competitive squad.”

When your entire season comes down to one 90-minute game – with the possibility of extra-time and penalties deciding your fate – it would be easy for even the most experienced in the Watford set-up to be very nervous.

“I know a lot of people say it, but honestly I don’t get nervous,” said the former Torquay United and Aldershot Town midfielder.

“I didn’t when I played and I don’t now. I said to the players the other day that I’m so confident in what they do that I genuinely look forward to games.

“It might be different on the day because it’s a big occasion for everyone, but I think nerves get taken care of by the preparation.

“I want everyone to enjoy it. We want to win, I’m desperate to win, but it’s a big occasion that we are confident going into.”

Both Watford and Forest find themselves in the very unusual position of having won their league, but having to play each other for the one promotion spot to the Championship that’s on offer.

The losers will return to the National League, and while that is a situation that will change next season, it leaves both sides in a massive winner takes all situation.

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“That change needed to happen as I don’t think it’s fair on anyone that you work all season to win your league and then you have to play a one-off game to get promoted,” Lathrope said.

“But we knew at the start of the season that was the case. All we could do was win our league and get ourselves into this play-off game.”

Winning the league happened in dramatic fashion as, on the final day, Watford claimed a 3-0 victory at Billericay to leapfrog previous league leaders Oxford United, who lost 1-0 at Ipswich – who themselves also jumped over Oxford to finish second in the table on goal difference.

It was a day of twists and turns and lots of text messages and phone calls – but not from Lathrope.

“I’d said prior to the game I didn’t want anyone on phones or jumping around on the bench,” he said.

“We knew we needed to look after ourselves that day. All we could do was win our game.

“But we had Richard Walker at Felixstowe watching the Ipswich/Oxford game, and he was messaging one of the staff to keep them up to date with what was happening there.

“So we were aware, and at 3-0 up in my opinion our game was won. Then when we realised the score in the other game it was nice, and I think our players knew.”

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There were more than 1,000 fans at Vicarage Road when the Golden Girls beat Oxford recently, and ticket sales suggest there could be double that number of Watford fans at Stadium MK tomorrow afternoon.

“It’ll be brilliant and it doesn’t surprise me at all that many supporters want to come and support the girls. The girls fully, fully deserve that,” said Lathrope.

“The level of commitment they have shown this year, the buy-in to what we are trying to do, the care they show for the club is a pleasure to be around.

“All of us really appreciate the support we get from everyone every week.”

Tickets for the play-off final at Stadium MK on Saturday (1pm) are £5 for adults, £2.50 for Under-16s and Over-65s, and free for Under-10's. You can purchase them by clicking here.

Alternatively, tickets will be available to purchase tomorrow in person from the ticket office at Stadium MK.