The midfielder will lead United into the cauldron created by a capacity Elland Road crowd tomorrow night, aware of how finely balanced his club are between unique success and ill-deserved failure.

Douglas was one of the limited number of players on the club's books when United were hampered by a 15-point deduction from the Football League eight days before the start of the season and it is fitting that he will be given the chance to captain Leeds through the final stages of their battle to override an unprecedented penalty.

The 15-point deduction was responsible for denying United automatic promotion – the club finished six points short of second place in the League One table – but they have the chance to rejoin the Championship via the more gruelling route of the play-offs.

Tomorrow will see the start of their semi-final against Carlisle, with the return leg to be played at Brunton Park on Thursday evening, and Douglas is hopeful that his team-mates are prepared for the last stage of their steep climb which is on course to finish with the League One final at Wembley on May 25.

Douglas said: "The 15 points happened. Everybody knew at the start of the season that we'd had them taken away and we knew then that we had a massive hill to climb.

"We've climbed it, but we're not at the top yet. Hopefully, by May 25 we'll have reached the peak.

"The minus 15 didn't help us but we got on with it from the very start. We had to grow up and stick together, and we've come to a position where we're in the play-offs. It's a great achievement, but we've still got a job to do.

"Our football's been good and we've won a lot of games but we're coming into that massive part of the season where you need to up it that little bit more.

"All I can do now is prepare right. We've got a lot of experience in the team, not just me. We've got Andrew Hughes and also Alan Thompson coming back from injury, so it's a team full of captains. That makes my job a lot easier."

United were widely written off at the start of the League One term but there have been few stages in the months since when the club's designs on promotion did not seem realistic.

Leeds set their season in motion with seven straight victories and the club had amassed 48 points from 20 matches when Douglas suffered a serious knee injury at Walsall shortly before Christmas.

The damage to his knee ligaments removed him from a team fifth in the table and he returned to the side in March to find Leeds narrowly outside the top six.

His comeback coincided with an increase in United's momentum and a flood of victories in April secured their place in the play-offs.

Carlisle's mediocre form provides a stark contrast with Leeds' consistent results, but Douglas can recall being part of the United team who were beaten 3-1 at Brunton Park at the beginning of November.

"It's two cup finals now," Douglas said. "Anything can happen on one particular day.

"There's a lot of pressure on both teams but if we enjoy it and play our football then that will serve us best. You can't look to draw one game and win the other, or anything like that. It's two games and you want to win both of them.

"We know we've been doing well and getting results – it's the reason we're in the position we're in – but we have to out-battle them as well as out-play them, at home and away. The best team will come out on top."

Leeds and Carlisle will complete their semi-final in the space of just three days, a rapid turnaround in comparison to the week which stands between the two legs of the second clash between Doncaster Rovers and Southend United.

McAllister will have little more than 48 hours to reorganise his players after tomorrow's first leg, but Douglas said: "For us it's probably better.

"Doncaster and Southend played on Friday and they've got a long wait. We know what we've got to do. We've got a game on Monday and then we prepare ourselves for Thursday. I'd rather have it that way.

"It's over quickly and you know one way or the other whether you're going to be at Wembley. It's a massive challenge, but one we're capable of winning."
Carlisle are expected to rely heavily on Danny Graham for their goals during the 180-minute battle with Leeds having lost striker Joe Garner to a serious knee injury in February.

Douglas and Garner played together while both were trainees at Blackburn Rovers, and Douglas described the 14-goal forward as "a big miss" for Carlisle.

But the 26-year-old said: "They've got good wide players and good midfielders. Going forward is their strength.

"But we shouldn't be worrying about them. If we play to our maximum then we should win.

"We know that tomorrow's going to be a massive game with another big crowd. The lads have got a chance to represent a big club at Wembley and it's one we're looking forward to.

"There's a lot of stake and I look forward to games like this because it's is why you want to be a footballer. The manager's calm and he's keeping our feet on the ground. If we get ahead of ourselves, we'll end up getting beat.

"They can play a few different ways and, likewise, so can we. It's all about who does it on the night.

"What you see on paper doesn't make a difference – if you don't perform you won't win, and it doesn't matter who you're playing against.

"We can't turn up thinking 'we're Leeds United, we're going to win this'. If we work hard then we'll beat them."