Keeper Cairns can't wait for second crack at play-offs with Fleetwood Town

Town host Wycombe Wanderers on Friday in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final at Highbury.

Wycombe were unable to beat Fleetwood in the regular season, drawing 1-1 on the Fylde coast in August and losing 1-0 at Adams Park on a memorable night in February.

Cairns is looking to use those results to help Fleetwood’s cause as they go into the two huge clashes on Friday and Monday, but he admits circumstances may well have changed after the enforced break.

Town’s number one, a survivor of the play-off semi-final defeat by Bradford City three years ago, told The Gazette: “I’m looking forward to it and we’re all ready for it.

“Overall we’ve had some great results this season. When we found out it was going on points-per-game (to decide the league table) and we had Wycombe, we’d have taken anyone in there because at the end of the day that was what was given to us.

“We wanted to play out the season because we really fancied our chances, as did a lot of teams, but it wasn’t to be and now it’s about going for it.

“You take it a game at a time but you’ve got two games to get to Wembley and we’re going to have a good go.”

Wycombe climbed above five clubs, Fleetwood included, to finish third when their game in hand entered the points-per-game reckoning.

It meant Town slipped a spot to sixth and Cairns said of their semi-final opponents: “They are quite direct. I know what Wycombe are about, having played them twice this year.

“But we don’t know exactly what they’re going to do, just like they don’t know exactly what we’re going to do.

“It’s a matter of training at near enough every aspect of our game, not just focusing on their game.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to take care of ourselves.

“We play our own game and I’m pretty sure we can do well from that.”

The Chairboys will play the second leg at home but Cairns, 27, does not believe that gives them an advantage as he prepares for his second play-off campaign with Town.

The Cod Army keeper added: “I don’t think it matters if you play at home first or away, I really don’t.

“We’ve played away first in the play-offs and then at home (Bradford City won 1-0 on aggregate in 2017), and I didn’t think it made a difference then.

“It’s just a matter of having two games and if you win both you go through. In my eyes, if you keep a clean sheet in both you’re probably going to go through.

“It doesn’t really bother me which way we do it.

“The fans not being there does impact it but it’s just about getting on the pitch and having a game of footie.”