This weekend's results seemed to have divided those that are genuine automatic promotion chasers from the play off contenders, "and then there were three"

After the results of the past three days a definite pattern has started to emerge that suggests that the two automatic places will be contested by the top three, whilst the next eight will fight for the three remaining play off spots.

The next three games may sort out the top three even further, Saints of course face Ipswich and Barnsley at home this week followed by a trip to Millwall, all winnable games and if Saints were to emerge victorious in all three it could see them only 3 wins from the Pemier.

However they are not going to have it all their own way, its going to be a question of who holds their nerve and who blinks first, West Ham have a similarly winnable set of fixtures they like Saints and indeed Reading have two straight home games, Watford on Tuesday and then Doncaster on Saturday, they then follow it up the following weekend by travelling to Leeds United, Reading themselves have hopefully the toughest run of the top three, Tuesday's home match against Pompey seems likely to only have one winner, then they entertain Leicester, on paper a home win, but the Foxes are on their day a match for most in this division as we have found out, then Reading get in their game in hand on us, they travel to Doncaster which will be tough but winnable, their final fixture of the "blink" fortnight is a trip to Barnsley.

So by Saturday 17th March whilst far from settled, the automatic promotion spots could be a lot clearer, at present Saints, West Ham & Reading are metaphorically speaking staring each other in the face, in the next fortnight we will find out who blinks first.

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