With no game Saints fans will be looking to their promotion rivals.

Its going to be tight at the top come the end of April with Saints vying with Huddersfield and Peterborough for that second promotion place, currently it stands

Hudderfeiled Played 38 ...Points 67.... Maximum Possible 91.

Southampton Played 36...Points 65... Maximum Possible 95

Peterborough Played 37...Points 65 ...Maximum Possible 92.

The advantage is still with Saints at present and as i see it i feel that 85 points is going to be the cut off point for second place, in Saints case this means getting 22 points from our ten games remaining an average of two points per match, pointedly exactly the total I predicted back in October.

Of course 85 isnt a guaranteed past the post mark, so in the first instance we have to do our bit and pick up as many as possible to put pressure on our rivals.

But whilst its still in our own hands we also have to count down the dropped points of Huddersfield and Peterborough so the target needed can be adjusted accordingly as we go and over this weekend we have to sit back and watch.

In some respects that is an advantage as the pressure is on the other two, if they win their games then not a lot has changed whereas if they drop points then the pendulum swings a little in ou favour.

But a promotion race is all about stealth and dealing with pressure, we have to accept that the both of them are deccent sides and will win more games than they drop points in and we also have to realise that in certain games they are clear favourites to win, so if they do we shouldnt be too downhearted and like Huddersfield last week against Swindon look for the dropped points in unlikely games, one good thing is that Huddersfield have to play Peterborough at home, so points will be dropped there  

So to this weekend, sadly its looking like three sure points for both, tonight Peterborough travel to Bristol Rovers, yes Rovers have picked up a little of late but they have the worst home record in the league, I cant see anything other than an away win, anything else is an almighty bonus to us.

Huddersfield face Notts County at home on Sunday, again this looks a home banker especially as Notts County dont usually travel that well, however  the Terriers did slip up at home to Swindon and County do really need the points as they have slipped too close to the relegation places for comfort of late albeit with games in hand.

So a weekend of watching and waiting for Saints fans, but as the old cliche goes its a marathon not a sprint and the good marathon runner knows when to sit back and let his opponents take the lead and when tthey are starting to falter, we need to be prepared that both get maximum and celebrate if they dont.      

Photo: Action Images

Saintpaul120 added 11:57 - Mar 25 County might do a 'park the bus' job on Hudds as they did with us - we couldn't break them down at home.
0

TheMoog added 12:16 - Mar 25 A collegue is a Notts County fan so I often keep an eye out for their results. They are not doing to well of late and have lost to both Brighton and Peterborough in recent weeks, on both occasions to a solitary second half goal. I'm really hoping they can break this pattern and pull off a result against Huddersfield. Or I might spit in his tea.
0

Spot51 added 12:40 - Mar 25 Now is not the time to be playing teams mired in the relegation battle. There will be odd results involving those sides from hereon in. You are much better off playing sides in the middle of the table whose players are focused on the beach not the pitch.
0

1962saint added 13:38 - Mar 25 I agree with the last comment - playing teams at the bottom is not always an easy 3 points eg Walsall v Saints, Hudds v Swindon. For that reason it's not a disaster that the Plymouth match has been postponed especially now that Adam & Oxo are injured. By the time we play the fixture on May 2 a) they will already be relegated b) their players probably will not have been paid c) some of their players will have left or looking to leave. The remainder will hardly be busting a gut to run the extra yard resulting in an easy 3 points for Saints (well that's the theory).

0

channonite added 20:46 - Mar 25 I can't see any mention of MKDons, or Bournemouth there. They are far from out of it yet. Still, I think 2nd place is very much within reach.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Preston North End Polls