Luton manager Rob Edwards believes the experience of losing a Championship play-off semi-final can be turned into a positive as they prepare to make their return.
Several players in the squad went through the heartbreak of a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Huddersfield a year ago.
But Edwards, who took over from Nathan Jones in November, thinks that can help with motivation ahead of the trip to Sunderland on Saturday.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the lads handle it. A number of them had the disappointment of last season and they don’t want that again,” he told a press conference.
“We can learn from that experience, we can talk about it.
“The one thing that I’m looking for is the performance, doing our basics and those things really well because that’s what has served us well throughout the season so far.
“If we do those things right you give yourself a good chance of getting a result but I can’t say ‘yeah, we’re going to go one step further’.”
Luton secured their play-off place a couple of weeks ago and finished the season third, 11 points behind Sheffield United but also 11 ahead of Sunderland.
They have not lost since February, and then to champions Burnley, and have been defeated only twice since Boxing Day as they ended the campaign on a 14-match unbeaten run of eight wins and six draws.
But Edwards does not believe that will make much difference when it comes to knockout football.
“I’m not sure how important form and momentum is,” he added.
“We’ve been able to do that (maintain momentum) but the play-offs are something else, they are a different beast.
“The time where I was part of a successful team (at Blackpool in 2010) we finished sixth and beat Nottingham Forest in the semi-final, who finished a number of points ahead of us.
“That was a long time ago, but I’ve experienced it. I think where we finished probably hasn’t got a part to play now.
“The players do deserve a lot of credit to finish third in this league but we’re not done and we don’t want it to end now.”
Striker Cauley Woodrow is expected to miss both legs against Sunderland with a knee problem but could possibly return if Luton reach the final.
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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