Tranmere Rovers manager Keith Hill wants to achieve Papa John’s Trophy Final success at Wembley for the SWA who will not be in attendance against Sunderland on Sunday.
Rovers head to the home of English football for the fourth time in as many years to take on Lee Johnson’s Black Cats.
Due to Government COVID-19 guidelines, the Final will be played behind closed doors, with the SWA purchasing virtual tickets to support Tranmere Rovers in the Community projects on the Wirral.
And Hill hopes that Rovers can do their fans proud under the arch this weekend.
Hill said: “They have been in touch with brilliant video messages, and we are doing this for them, they are the supporters, they are the heartbeat of our Football Club and we are doing everything that we can to justify their support.
“Not having any supporters in any stadium is a big miss. Our own supporters travelling to Wembley again would have been magnificent and it would have been my first real experience of having a big percentage of our supporters.
“We have been in lockdown so we’ve only had 2,000 home supporters in the ground in two of the games, and I’m disappointed on their behalf that they can’t be at Wembley.
“They are sorely missed but we know that they are there every day as we prepare for all the games in trying to beat Sunderland on Sunday.”
Hill feels that his players are fully prepared for what awaits them at Wembley, and he believes Rovers’ run to the final has created a winning culture.
He added: “The Papa John’s Trophy has allowed us to take those performances into our league form, and it has been important to create a winning culture and strive for a winning environment.
“We’ve had the training ground practice. We’ve had the trust and belief in a group of players, you have got to be brave, and we have been brave, in the competition.
“I work with these players day in, day out, I trust them to interpret tactically what we want to do against any opposition.
“From a confidence point of view, it’s brilliant knowing that we can win games against any opposition and we are confident with due respect to Sunderland, they are an excellent side who have got an excellent manager.”
“We have got to show desire, determination and effort, and those characteristics and you’re preparing your team to win a football match, and that’s preparing the players, working with them, and building relationships.
“It’s about preparing the team for the opposition tactically and supporting the players, but when you get to the Final, you have to be ready.”
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