ANDY BUTLER is ready to do his former club a big favour on the final day of regular League I action tomorrow.

Having helped Walsall clinch survival by holding Huddersfield Town to a 1-1 draw in the West Midlands last Saturday, the tough-tackling centre-back now aims to topple MK Dons.

That would give Town the chance of finishing fourth in the table and therefore booking home advantage in the second leg of the play-off semis.

A Dons defeat and Town victory is the only realistic combination of results which will bring MK to the Galpharm on Tuesday week, May 15.

Otherwise it’s a West Yorkshire first leg a week tomorrow, when kick-off will be 12.30, and a Buckinghamshire return three days later (7.45).

“We can relax now,” said rugged Yorkshireman Butler, the Saddlers skipper who played 58 times for Town between 2008, when he signed from Scunthorpe, and 2010.

“That means we can enjoy the trip to MK Dons. You never know what can happen when the pressure is off, and we’ll certainly aim to beat them at their place.”

The other play-off semi will be between either Sheffield Wednesday or United, who are fighting it out for the other automatic promotion spot alongside champions Charlton, and Stevenage, Notts County or Carlisle.

Wednesday know a win at home to Wycombe, in a match expected to attract a 37,000-plus crowd, will be enough to pip their bitter rivals the Blades, who go to Exeter.

Meanwhile Stevenage, who host Bury, are in the driving seat when it comes to sealing sixth place and maintaining their hopes of a remarkable third straight promotion.

Whichever of the Sheffield sides is left to tackle the play-offs will face the task of geeing themselves up, but Doncaster-born Butler believes either would be favourites to clinch the third promotion place.

Town, of course, are going into another play-off campaign after losing to Millwall in the 2010 semis and Peterborough in last year’s final.

“I hope it will be third time lucky for Town,” said Butler. “But there are some tough teams in there.

“Either of the Sheffield clubs, with their stature and support, will be a big player in the play-offs and it’s no easy game against MK Dons.

“It will be a tough task for Town, but one thing on their side is the quality of their squad – they rested some very good players against us – and the experience they have gained over the last two seasons.

“We’ve seen that these type of games can be unpredictable – last season I didn’t think Peterborough would do it, but they went all the way.

“I thought Town played well for the bulk of the final, but fell apart in the closing stages, so good luck to them this time.”

While Darren Ferguson led Posh to their victory over Town, the club started last season under the management of Gary Johnson, who brings Yeovil North tomorrow.

The 56-year-old began his second spell at the Huish Park helm in January, having taken the Somerset club into the Football League back in 2003, then into League I two years later.

Johnson, who has also bossed Cambridge, Kettering, Bristol City and Northampton as well as the Latvian national team, has successfully guided the Glovers to League I safety.

Now he’s looking to next season, and has offered to make 17-goal top scorer Andy Williams the highest-paid player in Yeovil’s history.

Ex-Hereford and Bristol Rovers man Williams, 25, is out of contract this summer and Johnson said: “We are not going to be able to entice him through sentiment, but I do not mind saying Andy has probably been made the biggest offer this club has ever made and it is on his table now.

“We made that offer early so it will be up to him. He has obviously got to look at his options and that’s the professional thing to do, but I hope he stays because I think we are going to be competing next year and it will be nice to have him with us and not against us.”

Johnson is also keen to keep former Hull, Scunthorpe and Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Richard Hinds, who signed a short-term Yeovil deal in February.