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McIlroy stays cool over play-off hopes
Sammy McIlroy insists his Morecambe players are still not talking play-offs, even though they could launch themselves right into the mix tonight.
A win at Rotherham would put the Shrimps level on points with seventh-placed Shrewsbury and into a nail-biting two-match scrap for that final knockout spot.
Yet boss McIlroy revealed: "We haven't even discussed the play-off positions. We are just taking each game as it comes and seeing where that takes us.
"We have three to go and they are all very tough. So we are just concentrating on Rotherham and nothing else."
A magnificent run of just one defeat in 17 league games has lifted Morecambe from the bottom third of the table to the shoulder of the play-off group.
Like Dagenham and Redbridge, who also play tonight – a difficult home fixture with leaders Brentford – McIlroy's side have a game in hand on the teams above them.
So if they can take three points at the Don Valley Stadium the chance of appearing in the end-of-season knockout, which no one even considered two months ago, would come clearly into focus.
Morecambe completed their third consecutive win at the weekend when they saw off Notts County 1-0 at Christie Park.
McIlroy said: "It was another hard-earned three points which was fantastic for us at this stage of the season.
"One in 17 is absolutely superb and has given us an outside chance of the play-offs.
"But Rotherham tonight will be a tough one, a really big test.
"They have nothing to play for now but, without the 17-point deduction, they would have been right up there. So they are obviously a good side.
"Then we go to Exeter on Saturday which is another extremely difficult one. And finally it's Bournemouth at home on the last day.
"Three hard games, but three we are really looking forward to.
"There is no pressure on us because Morecambe really shouldn't be at this sort of level.
"No-one ever seems to talk about us in that way.
"Well these boys have been absolutely magnificent and have rammed that down people's throats. We have deserved to be where we are."
Neil Wainwright will play no further part this season after being ordered to rest a niggling Achilles problem which forced him off at half-time on Saturday.
But McIlroy has no other injury concerns from the weekend success.
Meanwhile, Wayne Curtis and Fraser McLachlan have agreed to sign new one-year contracts at Morecambe, which will keep them at Christie Park until the end of the 2009/10 season.
McIlroy added: "Both Wayne and Fraser are great members of our squad and excellent players to work with and I'm delighted they have agreed to sign on again."
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Weather for Preston
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: -3 C to 3 C
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