AS A football manager you need to see the whole picture and what is happening throughout the club.

That’s why it was a real pleasure to go along to the club’s academy on Thursday night to talk to some of our younger players about social media.

We spoke to the under 14s, 15s and 16s and just reminded them of the dangers, but also reassured them that there are some great people at the club to offer support to them if needs be.

One of the mottos we have throughout the academy is that we are helping them become good people, not just good footballers.

The perfect example came after the workshop when I was introduced to a young lad who will be one of our scholars next year.

He was respectful, confident, but most of all you could sense the determination within him to make the most of his opportunity when he starts with us in July.

I think that fans can easily overlook the fact that we are constantly trying to get a culture and an identity throughout the building.

This season has seen so many changes throughout the club – things we know will reap the rewards in years to come.

But I know that for the majority of fans it is all about the here and now and beating Sunderland this afternoon.

With no midweek game we have been able to focus solely on this match.

It is one we are looking forward to and one where we test ourselves against a top club with great history.

They are beatable, though.

We felt we were very unlucky not to win the game at their place earlier in the season, and we showed against Portsmouth, Barnsley and Luton (who only beat us with the last kick of the game) that we can match the teams at the top.

There will be a big crowd and I think that needs to spur us on.

When I was a kid, dreaming of being a footballer, it was all about playing in front of a full house.

There is an extra buzz around the ground, that little bit more noise and energy.

Today we need to make those things work in our favour.

If you are coming along then be ready to make plenty of noise, knowing that your encouragement and support can do so much to lift us and help us achieve another great win.

I was really pleased with Jerome Sinclair’s debut at Burton last week.

He stretched the game really well and gives us something slightly different up front.

Jonte Smith did what we know he can do with a goal for the under 23s in a friendly this week and suddenly we have competition for places up front.

That can only be helpful and Jamie Mackie, for example, has been flying in training this week because he wants to play and knows he has people pushing him.

The same goes for Gavin Whyte and Jordan Graham now Marcus Browne is fit again, or John Mousinho in midfield since the arrival af Ahmed Kashi.

It means I actually have to weigh up all of the options before naming my side today – it’s a long way from picking the only XI available to me, as was the case for some games earlier in the season!

Whoever gets the nod, we will have strength on the bench and we feel we are in a far stronger place than we were before the transfer window opened.