Neil Ashton was in a good mood when he took the time to speak to ShrewsWeb after training on Tuesday.Ashy's recent performances at left-back have seen him put in some of his best shows in a Town shirt since joining back in December 2004.

He is one of the squad who took part in the Town's last visit to Wembley two years ago but is hoping for a better result this time: "It's good to be back at Wembley and as long as we get the right result it will be a great experience.

"It was nice to go there last time and to be part of that occasion and to be one of the first teams in the country to play there.

"On the flip side we lost the game and that put a dampener on the day so hopefully we can get the right result this time."

Ashy believes the squad is much better prepared this time with a better balance between the youth and experience:"To be honest I think the squad is looking much better this time around.

"There is a lot more quality and a lot more experience in the team, the average age will be a lot higher and that experience can only work well for the team.

"If you look at me and Kelvin people will say we are still only young lads but we do have a lot of experience.Kelvin has over 200 league games now and I'm not too far behind him.

"Mossy must have near 400 appearances, Coughs has a lot more than that so as a back four we have a lot of experience.That can only help Luke Daniels who has been absolutely amazing in the last couple of weeks, especially in the Bury game."

Town's form has been a little inconsistent over the season but it seems to hitting the right level at the right times.Away wins at Rotherham, Dagenham and Bury now see Town on a nice little run going into the final:"If anyone had said at the beginning of March that we would finish the league games with three away wins on the bounce people would have laughed at them, especially with the teams we were up against.

"It does show how far we've come this season as a group and as a club.

"Everyone is pulling in the right direction and everyone wants us to get into league 1 and are doing their utmost to do that.

"We are coming into a bit of form at the right time and apart to the two defeats to Bury I think we are unbeaten in something like 12 games.

"It is some solid form that we are in and we have to take that into the big stage and be as positive as possible."

With preparation well under way ahead of the big game Ashy had a mention for all the staff at the club who are doing their best to help the lads focus ahead of the game: "The preparation has been good since we knew we were in the final, the sessions we've been doing have been lively and sharp.

"Things seem a lot less hectic than they did last time and everyone seems to be a little bit more relaxed.

"I guess that's because we've been there before and everyone knows the protocol and what will happen when we get there.

"The players seem relaxed and you can see the people in the ticket office and all the non playing staff are doing their best to take the pressure off the players and that is really appreciated."

Then on Saturday afternoon Town take to the Wembley turf to take on Gillingham for the prize of a place in League 1. The two sides have met this season with Town just edging it and Ashy is hoping that the result once again goes in Town's favour: :"Probably the worst part of it is the walk out and then meeting whoever is the VIP and then the national anthems.

"Once the whistle goes you get into your grove and put everything outside the pitch to the back of your mind and get on with doing your job the best you can for the team.

"It's Gillingham again but I don't think there is much we can take from the game at our place as it was such a long time ago.

"We drew with them 2-2 a couple of months back and I think that was pretty much the turning point in our season.To be 2-0 down after half-time and then to see how the lads rallied and got back into the game was absolutely fantastic.

"The season has been extended into the play-offs so everything will have been worth it to get the trophy and a medal around your neck.

"For me and a number of the other lads who are out of contract it might help to put a little bit of thought into the gaffer's mind over new deals and hopefully I can still be here next season regardless."