SAINTS will be looking to make home advantage tell in tonight’s (Thursday 7.45pm) expected battle royale against Warrington for a place at Old Trafford.

Although League Leaders Shield winners finished the Super 8s a whopping 15 points clear of their fourth-placed opponents, that now counts for nothing in this do-or-die tussle.

Having lost the last three years Super League semi-finals on their travels to Castleford, Warrington and Leeds, Saints boss Justin Holbrook wants the home fans to roar them on.

Holbrook said: “Our fans are a bit quieter, maybe more comfortable, at home compared to when they are packed into one end away.

“We have played so well this year to earn a home semi-final, but it does not guarantee you a win.

“We need all of our fans to get behind us, make a noise and encourage the boys for the whole game.

“At the end of the day we will be right, we are up for it and ready to go.

“But it would be great for them to raise the roof.”

The teams have met three times already this term, with Saints winning all of them.

But the second of those tussles, the 14-12 win in July settled by a Danny Richardson penalty, was the sort of tight game to be expected in the semi.

That night, Wolves’ pack got into Saints and slowed them down at the ruck and so limited their attack.

Saints were stronger and smarter across the board last time out a fortnight ago, when the pack helped lay a platform for a 34-14 win.

That was a stormy encounter, which saw three yellow cards and a number of niggles off the ball.

So this could be a feisty one, given what is at stake.

Holbrook added: “Warrington will be ready for this.

“Like us, they have been smart about the way they have gone about it in the past few weeks.

“Come Thursday both teams are going to be firing and it will be a great game.

“It is a fine line (between aggression and discipline) - they will be fired up understandably, but so will we.”

The victors will go to Old Trafford on 13 October and play the winners of Wigan and Castleford.

Skipper James Roby, a Grand Final winner in 2006 and 2014, is keen to get there to cap an outstanding season.

“We know what we are capable of, but we have to go out there and do it,” said Roby.

“Warrington like to slow us down but they like to play fast themselves. We will try to combat that.

“We are 80 minutes away from a Grand Final and we really want to get there.”