Previous play-off heartache fuels Clarke's desire to get Huddersfield Town elevated

The Terriers host the Lions on Saturday in an eagerly-anticipated first leg tie before travelling to south London a week tonight for the return.

Huddersfield, who finished sixth in the table, fancy their chances against a Millwall side beaten at the Galpharm Stadium last month.

Clarke admits reaching the League One play-off final would go a long way towards making up for the night when his own Wembley dream with Southend United was ended by Doncaster Rovers.

He said: "I have been involved in the play-offs before as a Southend player and we lost to Doncaster (in the 2008 semi-finals) so I have experienced the bad side of it all.

"I don't want to be in that situation again and I am going to pass that on to the rest of the lads.

"Having said that, the result at Exeter on Saturday (when Town lost 2-1) may have grounded a few of the lads and could ultimately prove to be a blessing in disguise.

"Don't get me wrong, nobody likes to lose. I am probably the worst loser you could wish to meet, but hopefully we will look back in two or three weeks time and think it wasn't such a bad thing after all."

Clarke, signed last summer from Roots Hall, has proved to be an important capture for Lee Clark with the former England Under-21 international being the only ever-present outfield player in the Town side this season.

The Terriers captain was the scorer of the only goal of a captivating game when Millwall visited the Galpharm on April 16 in front of the live Sky cameras and is adamant that the Yorkshire side have nothing to fear.

He said: "Of course I believe. If I didn't, I might as well not be here. I believe we will be fully prepared and in the right frame of mind to achieve what we all want to and I believe that we have enough ability in the squad to succeed over the next couple of weeks.

"I am sure I speak for everyone connected with the club – not just the players and the coaching staff, but all the backroom staff, the supporters and anyone in any walk of life – when I say that we want to work at as high a level as we possibly can.

"As footballers we are no different, we want to ply our trade at the highest level we possibly can.

"I believe I am at the right club to fulfil my ambitions. Hopefully, as a collective – the players, the management staff, the backroom staff and the fans – we can achieve what we want."

After attracting bumper crowds to the last two home games of the regular season against Millwall and Colchester United, Town are again anticipating another huge turnout.

Clarke says the support Huddersfield received in both games was definitely a major help to the players and is hoping for more of the same this Saturday in a first leg that will kick-off at 12.15pm.

The Terriers captain said: "The atmosphere at our last two home games has been terrific. The club has come up with a few initiatives and the fans turned out in their numbers and in really good voice.

"It obviously helps the team when everyone is right behind the lads. It encourages them and gets rid of any tension there might be. I hope the fans believe too. We are going into Saturday's game on the back of a decent run of form, although the result at Exeter last weekend was a little bit disappointing.

"Having said that, it might be the little kick up the backside that we need; there is no room for complacency in the next two – hopefully three – games.

"Hopefully, we have had our little blip on the last day of the season, just as Doncaster did two years ago (before beating Southend). The aim is now to go into the play-offs and replicate what they did."