Reaching play-offs is well within the grasp of Wakefield

On the back of five consecutive wins, the unfancied West Yorkshire club are currently enjoying a finer streak than any other team in Super League.

Just when it matters most, it has thrust them from nowhere on to the fringes of the top eight.

Indeed, if Bradford Bulls lose against Hull FC tomorrow evening and Wakefield prosper at home to Widnes Vikings on Sunday, they will replace Bulls in the play-off places with just one game to go.

Obviously, Wildcats will also know just what they need to do before facing bottom-paced Widnes but Agar said: “Whichever way the Bradford-Hull game goes it will give us its own motivation.

“I think if Hull do manage to get the spoils then we can see it’s all there for us and, at the same time, if Bradford win it puts the onus on us even more.

“But I think we’ve had situations like that for the last couple of weeks and we’ve handled them okay.

“It’s exciting and we’ve enough players in our squad that have experienced getting to the back end of the year and having to get wins in pressured games.

“Richard Mathers, Paul Sykes and Tim Smith are all very experienced players for us through the middle of the field along with others that have played in these types of games before.

“It could have been worse for us – we could have had a lot more difficult run-in that what we have – but we know the dangers of all the games that sit in front of us.”

The final fixture for Wakefield – who have beaten champions Leeds Rhinos and St Helens on this brilliant run – is at Salford in a week’s time, a side who have conversely lost their last five games.

Given Agar signed 17 new players ahead of this his first season at Wakefield since leaving Hull FC, the subsequent returns have prompted many to rate him as Super League Coach of the Year.

Widnes coach Denis Betts offered that same view earlier this week, praise indeed given the standard of some of his peers.

Agar said: “I am good mates with Denis so I probably owe him some money! I think it is great – not for me personally – but as a reflection for the club and the players.

“I don’t know the criteria for judging it but at the start of the year we said we wanted to change the perception of Wakefield on and off the field.

“If we are looking at a team that is being talked about for making the eight – and we have attracted a lot more media attention over the last two or three weeks – and people are throwing my name up for that then it’s terrific recognition.

“But that’s for the job we have all done, not just me but the staff, the players and the front office.

“It’s not something that I lay awake dreaming about and if I’m not in the mix for that I can assure you it won’t be something that plays on my mind too much.”