Huntington Stadium will be transformed into a pressure cooker on Sunday as the York City Knights face a make-or-break encounter with Workington Town.

The winners of the National League Two elimination play-off will go through to the Grand Final at Widnes' Halton Stadium next Sunday.

But the losers will leave with nothing - including no more second chances - and head coach Richard Agar has asked his team for a display based on pure emotion.

"It's do or die for us," he said. "We are playing for everything. We have played on the emotion this week and we are looking for a passionate display from the team.

"Probably over the last two games we haven't been quite up there mentally for it, and considering what's at stake, we need to be.

"We didn't do any training on Tuesday night - we just sat down and had a chat about the season, what we have got left and where we want to go with it.

"It could be all or nothing on Sunday and we all agreed we wanted to go for it.

"The pressure is on us but the rewards at the end of it are well worth it."

The last time Workington encountered the Knights, they were seriously short on numbers with weddings and injuries taking their toll. The Knights' 44-24 win became just one of two defeats in a devastating run - the other coming at the hands of champions Barrow -- and Agar will be wary of their opponents' form.

He said: "It's going to be difficult because they are a difficult team with about three or four really good players.

"We have got to match them up front and kill them off. They have got a very good off-loading game and off the back of that, they have got two or three guys that get into dangerous areas.

"We need to let them worry about us a bit so we want to start the game in a big fashion."

The bad news is that Darren Callaghan will definitely be out for the rest of the season with surgery required on a knee cartilage injury.

But Chris Smith and Craig Forsyth both return, with a recall to the squad for Aaron Wood.

Agar added: "There have been a lot of people that have done a lot for us all year. From pre-season training, the players have been going for 11 months and the fans have been behind them all way.

"They were brilliant again last week at Halifax and we would love to give the supporters the chance to cheer us on at the Grand Final. I feel we owe a bit to them."

The club have announced there will be no seats reserved for tomorrow's game. Normal match-day prices will apply.

Squads:

National League Two elimination semi-final

(at Huntington Stadium 3pm)

Knights from: C Smith, Walker, Buchanan, Langley, Spurr, Farrell, Rhodes, Brough, Wilson, Sullivan, Jackson, Elston, Sozi, Forsyth, Cain, J Smith, Ramsden, Friend, Wood.

Town from: Sione, Chilton, Wilson, Dawes, Lewthwaite, George, Manihera, Tunstall, Limmer, Burgess, Dean, Tuimaualuga, Smith, Bragg, Wright, Beaumont, Robinson, Woodcock.

Ref: Ronnie Laughton (Barnsley)

Updated: 10:07 Saturday, October 02, 2004