STUART McCall will not let emotion cloud his judgement when he takes City to Wembley on Saturday.

McCall's presence at the helm for the League One play-off final against Millwall has given the occasion added poignancy for many supporters.

Yet the manager himself will not be swayed by any sentiment from his close links with the club.

That is the view of former boss Terry Dolan, who managed McCall at Valley Parade during City's first play-off appearance in the 1988 'nearly' season.

While fans would love to see a club legend take them up at Wembley, Dolan believes McCall will bury any personal thoughts to focus on the job in hand.

Dolan said: "I'm sure, deep down, as an ex-player he'll be feeling something. But as a manager, he'll be trying to put that out of his mind completely. All he wants to do is win the game.

"A lot of supporters remember him as the player he was and obviously the affection he's got for the club.

"But with the experience he's had over the years as a manager, he will be steely in his attitude, positive about it and just concentrating on the game.

"I don't think any emotion will come into regarding his ties with the club. He'll be fine."

Dolan, director of football at Bradford Park Avenue, believes McCall might have struggled to separate heart from head during his first spell as Bantams boss.

But the knowledge he gained from managing north of the border since leaving Valley Parade in 2010 has prepared him fully for the challenge second time round.

Dolan said: "I think it's easier for him now because he's got a lot more experience. It would have been difficult the first time.

"When he came back last summer, I said that he would cope fine because of what he has done since his first job as manager there.

"He's worked with Rangers, Scotland and Motherwell and that stands you in good stead over a number of years.

"He didn't have the emotional attachment that was there when he first took the Bradford job.

"Bradford have drawn too many from the point of view of going up automatically. One or two more wins from that and they might have done it. But that's probably because of lack of goals.

"I haven't seen a lot of them this season but they are pretty flexible with the players they've got at the moment. They can play three at the back or a back four and it's good that you can change things during the game."

Dolan will be glued to the television at the weekend and admits it will be tough to separate two evenly-matched sides.

He said: "It's a very difficult one to call, if I'm honest. If Millwall have their strongest team out, they've got (Lee) Gregory and (Steve) Morison up top who are a handful. But so far this season, Bradford's strength has been defensively.

"From the point of view of people watching it on the telly, the longer it goes on the better to get as much enjoyment as possible. But from the other side of things, it could become very nerve-wracking."