Jon Parkin says he can't wait to see his old club Forest Green Rovers take on Tranmere Rovers in the Sky Bet EFL Play-Offs.
The 37-year-old, whose CV includes a host of EFL Clubs, played for Forest Green between 2014 and 2016, making over 50 appearances.
Mark Cooper's side travel to Tranmere's Prenton Park on Friday evening looking to take a step closer to promotion having secured their Play-Off spot with a fifth-placed finish, and Parkin believes fans can expect an entertaining clash.
“I think this is a good game for both teams; these are two teams that have done really well to get into the Play-Offs," he said. "Both have got themselves into the EFL and really kicked on, so it should be an interesting game. It’s one of those where it’s over two legs, so Tranmere will be wanting to get a win going into the away leg.
“Obviously, it would be fantastic for Forest Green to go up, or for Tranmere to get back-to-back promotions, it would be a great achievement. I don’t think there’s much between the teams in League Two and that makes it so exciting."
Parkin remembers his time at The New Lawn fondly, and says Forest Green are a club that are heading in the right direction, regardless of the result against Tranmere.
"I enjoyed my time at Forest Green a lot, it was fantastic. We got to the National League Play-Off Final, so we did well," he said. "To be honest, their recent success doesn’t surprise me. Their Chairman is an ambitious guy who will give the manager whatever he wants in order to be successful. Some Clubs are run stereotypically, but it’s totally different there. It’s a fantastic little club that does things properly; they’re really going in the right direction. As I say, the Chairman will be doing his best to take them to the next level.
“I remember scoring for Forest Green against Macclesfield from around the halfway line, I couldn’t be bothered to run with it so I just hit it! Fortunately for me, I caught it sweetly and it went in. People were asking me if it was the best goal I’d ever scored, and obviously it looked good, but most professional footballers can kick it 45 yards. I’ve scored more difficult finishes than that!"
Another of Parkin's former Clubs, Newport County, are taking part in the other League Two Play-Off Semi-Final. They face Mansfield Town over two legs for a chance to make it to Wembley.
“Newport have done fantastically well," he added. I had a short spell there, of course, and have watched their results this season. I think they’ve overachieved a bit by getting into the Play-Offs, so they’ve done a fantastic job. It must have been a real kick in the teeth for Mansfield to miss out on automatic promotion on the final day – as a player, you’re switching your mind to your holidays, but now they have to switch on again and try to win promotion through this route.”