THE stage is set for what Bury manager David Flitcroft believes could be a momentous occasion as Southend visit the JD Stadium tonight for what is effectively a League Two promotion eliminator.

Victories for both sides at the weekend put them within touching distance of third-placed Wycombe, who could only draw at Wimbledon.

Bury are two points behind and Southend are a point further back, with both sides having played a game less than their rivals.

Tonight’s match is their game in hand – a rearranged fixture following the abandonment of the original match due to a waterlogged pitch.

Shakers chairman Stewart Day has offered free entry following confusion over refund vouchers issued after the wash-out.

And Flitcroft has appealed to football fans from across the region to sample the atmosphere and help roar his side towards promotion.

“It’s a Tuesday night, there will be a great atmosphere under the lights, so bring your kids down. It could be a real momentous night and a night that we need you,” he said.

“It goes beyond football, it is the experience I keep talking about of coming to the stadium, feel the professionalism, feel the change and what we are trying to do.

“Let’s get some new energy in there, let’s get some optimism into that football ground and let’s keep driving through this positive time we are having.”

Victory for either side will not guarantee promotion, but for Bury it would ensure their destiny would be in their own hands going into the final two games of the season.

They have had to work hard to get into this position, winning 11 of their last 13 matches, including a club record seven on the bounce away from home.

The Shakers’ only dropped points in that run have been at the JD Stadium, but with a full squad to choose from Flitcroft has no doubt his players appreciate the significance of the occasion.

“I won’t have to motivate the players for the Southend game, the game is a motivation in itself,” he added.

“With the chairman giving the free tickets out, it should produce a fantastic atmosphere.

“It just shows the chairman’s commitment to the football club, and the board’s commitment to the club and the town.

“You can’t please everybody, there are some people who are concerned because they have already paid, but we are all trying to get behind it.

“We have got a guy here who puts back. He wants us to be successful so I am just praying that the town get behind it.”

While the night is set up perfectly for Bury, Southend will be out to wreck their party.

Victory would see Phil Brown’s side leapfrog Bury and draw level with Wycombe, although they would need to win by seven goals to move into the top three on goal difference.

The Shrimpers’ defence has been their strength, however, having won their last five matches without conceding a goal.

“We’re both on the shirt-tails of Wycombe so it’s a six pointer in every sense of the word,” said Brown, who says he expects to sign a new three-year contract at Southend.

“But we’ve won the last five and we’ve had six clean sheets on the bounce so I’m absolutely delighted with our form going into it.”