Inside the final-day 'theatre' of fight to avoid relegation

Everton, Leicester and Leeds must buckle up for the most chaotic, emotional day in football

- Miguel Delaney

When players talk about the anguish of a final-day relegation battle, one of the main memories that most recall is the unsettling sense of quiet. That isn't when the final whistle goes, and reality sinks in. It is actually during the chaos, when something happens at another game, and the news seeps through to the crowd. The players realise something big has changed. It affects performance.

"The atmosphere and pressure is palpable," says Gareth Farrelly, who was the decisive figure in one of the Premier League's most famous final days 25 years ago. This may yet be the decisive factor tomorrow. Because, although there are three clubs vying for one place, the general feeling in the game is that it is only going one way. An Everton win is guaranteed to keep them up, and they probably have the most forgiving fixture in terms of playing a recently safe mid-table team in Bournemouth. There is also the argument, put forward from what is being said within all three clubs, that they have the manager, in Sean Dyche, who is the best fit in terms of both team and situation. Sam Allardyce has yet to fully rally Leeds United, who look fragile. The feeling from within Leicester City is that there isn't yet that connection between the squad and Dean Smith, and there have been some questions about his tactics.

The great disruptor is that, with all of these clubs, it's pretty difficult to predict such wins with any confidence. That's why they're in this position in the first place. There are no guarantees. You can think it's going to go one way, but the first development and that first ripple around the stadium - can transform the entire mindset at a stadium and the dynamic of the day. It is why the first goal tomorrow might be so important, and have a chain reaction.