Promotion bottlers Leeds United and Leicester City are this week’s biggest losers in the Championship, while Southampton are given hope…
Southampton
It was a very big weekend for Russell Martin’s Southampton, who are suddenly right back in the fight for automatic promotion.
A mid-season 25-game unbeaten run thrust the Saints into the promotion mix but a subsequent stretch of just three wins in eight Championship games threatened to end their top two chances.
Luckily for the Saints, their three nervy rivals for automatic promotion to the Premier League are on the ropes and at risk of fully bottling it. So the recent return to form for Martin’s side is timely and it’s breathed fresh life into their season.
Back-to-back victories – against tough opposition in Coventry City and Watford – leave Southampton just eight points behind league leaders Ipswich Town with two games in hand.
As proven by recent slip-ups, there are no easy games at this level (especially at this stage of a gruelling season) and Southampton would surely rather have points on the board instead of games in hand. But they are the one side at the top of the Championship showing any semblance of consistency and they can embrace the run-in with the freedom of being the underdogs, while the teams above them struggle in the face of mounting pressure.
