This weekend will be another of big changes in the race for promotion.
By 5pm on Saturday evening the promotion race will start to look a bit clearer as that big pendulum starts to swing one way or another.
From a Saints point of view its about getting three points, if they do so they will have done their bit and cant do anything more, even if both Huddersfield and Peterborough win, Saints will have turned the screw as time will start running out for them.
Peterborough look to have a home banker win against Plymouth and its hard to see anything different there, Huddersfield though travel to Charlton and that will be tough, the Addicks have dropped of late but they are a good side playing erratically rather than a poor side,so from that point of view anything can happen.
But Saints have to do their bit and hope for miracles in these two games, if we get three points and Peterborough fail to win then its a big leap forward as five/six points ahead of them leaving them only four to play would be a big mountain.
In Huddersfield's case a draw would be realistic, again that would be a great help given that the following Saturday see's us at brighton, whilst they play at MK Dons the day before, we have to be prrepared that we might drop out of the top two next weekend if they win at Charlton.
But its not just the automatic spots that are hotting up, the race for a play off spot cranked up a gear with Rochdale jumpinginto the sixth spot after their win against us, leapfrogging Bouremouth., a few weeks ago the Cherries looked odds on for at least a play off spot, now they are in freefall, MK Dons know that they could virtually guarantee their play off spot by winning at Swindon tommorrow and then beating Huddersfield, which is a bonus for us, that would then leave Bournemouth scrapping with Rochdale and Orient for that last place.
Rochdale face Brentford at home and will be confident, Bournemouth face a trip that a week or so ago would have been a guaranteed three points, but Notts County having sacked Paul Ince could now be a different proposition, if the Cherries failed to win, not only could they see Rochdale surge away from them, but they could also see Orient jump them if they can win at Exeter, in fact in that game Bournemouth fans will pray for a draw, because if Notts County beat the Cherries and Exeter beat Orient then the Grecians themselves would only be two points behind Bournemouth and be entering a rather crowded four horse race for sixth spot.
Its a crucial weekend, but they are all going to be, Saints just need to do their bit and then head into the Easter weekend, a period that will go a long way to sorting the wheat from the chafe.