Dean Smith knows the Wembley effect

The Saddlers boss still regrets the way he approached the 1999 play-off final, when he captained the Leyton Orient team which lost 1-0 to Scunthorpe.

Smith believes he was too intense in the build-up and is determined his own players won't fall into the same trap.

"You have to savour it, enjoy it," he said. "Wembley can be one of those experiences, it is different to normal.

"You have to be in the dressing room earlier than you normally would because you have to walk out for the national anthems.

"For 20 minutes you are really intense and you don't need to do that.

"Just enjoy it, enjoy walking out, enjoy the national anthem and be ready to go. That is the key to it."

In addition to visiting Wembley this afternoon on route to their hotel, the Saddlers boss has a number of things planned over the next 48 hours to ensure the squad enter Sunday's clash with Bristol City in the right frame of mind.

"I've got a few things planned for them over the two nights we are down there, to get them relaxed and get them together," he said.

"This is a unique, one-off experience for a lot of them and it is different to normal life. You have to treat it differently and we will, we will be prepared for it, that is for sure."

Smith admits the pain of losing at Wembley is not a feeling he wishes to repeat.

He added: "It was horrible. We had a great party after, you always do because, as my wife always says, you cope.

"You can't change anything, that is what I have always thought as a manager.

"It was raw on the journey home, there was a planned party at the ground and that got pooped a little bit by the result."

The Saddlers held their final training session this morning at the Banks's Stadium before heading south.

A final decision on injured duo Tom Bradshaw and Andy Taylor is not expected until before the game.