'We were hoping it would not have come to this'
Danny Pugh: "It's squeaky bum time"
- Published
Former Stoke City midfielder Danny Pugh says he "didn't expect" the club to be in a Championship relegation fight on the final day of the season.
The Potters are 18th in the table, just two points above the drop zone and face one of their rivals in Derby County on Saturday (12:30 BST).
Should they lose to the Rams, they would still be safe as long as Hull City and Luton Town do not pick up wins also, nor Preston North End earn a point against Bristol City.
"We were hoping it wouldn't have come to this," Pugh told BBC Radio Stoke.
"But like you say, it's squeaky bum time.
"It's disappointing but I think they will have enough to not get sucked into it."
The final game against the Rams will be on home ground and while Pugh thinks that will be a strength for the side, he also says there will be a different kind of atmosphere when the players step on to the pitch.
"You've got that excitement, you've got that adrenaline. You're aware there's a different feeling in the stadium," Pugh said.
"There's definitely that added tension, that added pressure when there's so much hanging on the game."
