I’M really looking forward to the play-off finals.

While our own division is still to be sorted out – I’m writing this before last night’s Leeds v Millwall second leg and tonight’s MK Dons v Scunthorpe clash – the other two finals are really interesting.

Town fans already know there’s another long trip on the way to either Gillingham or Shrewsbury courtesy of the League II final, and that match at Wembley is too close to call for me because they both showed a lot of guts and character to get through the semis.

It really could go either way, and much the same could be said of the Burnley v Sheffield United Championship final.

That one-off clash to get into the Premiership is widely acknowledged to be the most valuable match in world football because of the riches on offer to the promoted team – and that’s especially so if they can manage to stay up!

I’m not surprised to see Kevin Blackwell doing so well at Bramall Lane, but as an ex-Sheffield Wednesday player I can hardly tip United!

For some reason, and don’t ask me to explain why, I’ve always had a soft spot for Burnley and it would be nice to see them back up in the top flight after a long number of years in the lower divisions.

They have already achieved a great result against Reading, especially going down there and winning the other night with two cracking goals, and I feel they will go into the final with a lot of momentum.

They’ve finished the season well, they’ve got match winners in Chris Eagles and Robbie Blake and they’ve had a great cup success already, so this knockout format should suit them.

Having said all that, the Blades played some fantastic football in the semi against Preston and if they can reproduce that in the final, it’s going to be a brilliant contest.

One thing is for sure, neither side are going to want to lose.

It’s bad enough losing in the semis without going to the final at Wembley and ending up with nothing at the end of a long season, particularly when you are so close to the Premier League.

It’s Burnley for me, and they will be welcome in the top flight.

I FEAR Hull City are under enormous pressure to stay in the Premiership.

They’ve had a shocking run since that infamous match at Manchester City on Boxing Day when Phil Brown had the team sitting out on the pitch during half time.

In the first part of the season they were going great guns and powering along in the top six, but since that day, when they were 4-0 down at half time and lost 5-1 in the end, they don’t seem to have recovered.

I’m not saying things have gone wrong entirely because of what the manager did that day, but I don’t think there was any reason for him to embarrass the players in that way, in front of their own fans and the whole country.

They had been going really well and were having a bad off day, but by taking out his frustration in such a public way probably upset people more than he realised and they have steadily dropped right into trouble.

Newcastle, having got the bonus of that win against Middlesbrough, will probably now have the incentive to survive and, while West Brom have done ever so well to stay in the hunt, I think they will go down with Boro and Hull.

It hasn’t been the greatest of seasons for Newcastle and it’s taken a while for the Alan Shearer effect to pay off, but they do have people back who can score, and that should enable them to reach safety.

I LOVE my cricket and I’m hoping to have a few games with Hall Bower before the summer is out.

I’ve not been able to play for a lot of years because of my football commitments, but cricket has always been close to my heart.

As a fan, it was with some surprise that I noted the comments of West Indies captain Chris Gayle in the build-up to this Test at Chester-le-Street.

He reportedly said he wasn’t too bothered about skippering his country and that he wouldn’t shed a tear if Test cricket died out.

I have to say I totally disagree.

Test cricket is the very top of the game and, as far as I’m concerned, it always will be.

That’s the format that people grow up aspiring to play and it’s the greatest test of all the skills of the game.

Yes, Twenty20 is fun to watch and the 50-over one-day internationals can provide a great day out, but five days of top-class battle is what it’s all about.

Being picked for one of the one-day formats is a big achievement, but playing Test cricket for England (or whichever country you come from) is still the ultimate honour.

And a Test can provide just as much excitement and entertainment.

In recent years there have been a lot more win-loss Tests than drawn ones.

And you only have to remember what a brilliant reaction there was to the 2005 Ashes series against Australia to realise how Test cricket can really capture the imagination.

Let’s hope it’s the same later this summer, with the same result!

As for Tests, I’m still trying to educate the Town dressing room in the art of appreciating it.

They love the Twenty20 stuff but can’t understand why I would rather sit down and watch five days of a Test.

They’re not a very cultured lot!