PAUL GRAYSON has told his Essex side to be brave as they look to book a first Friends Life t20 finals day appearance since 2010.
The Eagles face North Group winners Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Trent Bridge tonight in the final quarter-final of this year's competition.
The winners will book the last spot at finals day, which is at Edgbaston on Saturday, August 17.
Victory would secure a fourth trip to finals day for the Eagles, who are the only side from the South Group never to win the competition.
And Grayson said: " It's a night for players to hold their nerve, trust each other and back their skills.
"We've got to be really brave and committed in everything we do.
"Everything's gone really well, we've had a couple of days of preparation since Friday night's game at the Oval, we trained well on Monday and Tuesday.
"We're looking forward to the game and in terms of our planning and preparation, everything is going really well."
Last year the Eagles came unstuck at this stage when they were beaten by Somerset by 27 runs at Taunton, and Grayson hopes to use that disappointment to help spur his side on this time around.
"Last year when we went down to Taunton we looked a bit timid in the way we played our cricket," he added.
"That team was very experienced, we had Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara had just come back from a Test match against South Africa, and James Franklin as well.
"The balance of the side last year was as good as we could have wanted down at Taunton, but for one reason or another we didn't turn up and we didn't play well.
"Sometimes that can happen in T20 cricket, and sometimes you've got to give a bit of credit to the opposition.
"But if we focus all our efforts on what we're good at, then I'm sure the boys will put in a big performance."
Nottinghamshire have never won the competition, and this will be the first meeting between the two sides in the shortest form of the game.
Essex are underdogs for the tie against a side who are currently joint-favourites to win the title, but Grayson is comfortable with that tag – and knows that one individual performance on either side could swing the game.
"They're a good side," he added. "They topped the North Group, they've been very consistent and they're probably favourites to win the game.
"We can live with that, we're quite happy being underdogs in this game.
"They've got match-winners in both areas, really.
"You'd have to say their batting is their strongest suit, looking at the way they've gone about their business at the top of the order with [Alex] Hales and [Michael] Lumb, Samit Patel, James Taylor and David Hussey so they're a strong batting unit.
"But we know and they know that both sides have got match-winners. If one individual has an outstanding night that can turn the game."
