ALAN Pardew believes the outcome of tonight’s trip to Bristol Rovers will be pivotal to Saints’ play-off hopes.

Saints kept their dream of a top-six finish alive with Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Charlton.

They now travel to the Memorial Stadium one point and one place behind the eighth-placed Pirates, with a game in hand.

Saints also trail Huddersfield, who occupy sixth, by eight points having also played a game less than the Terriers.

Pardew described tonight’s crucial clash as a “win at all costs” match.

And he believes that whoever claims a victory will have a real chance of sneaking into sixth.

But, on the flipside, Pardew has warned his team that their play-off dream could be over if they drop points.

“It will cement us in eighth place if we win or cement Bristol Rovers in eighth place (if we don’t),” he said.

“So it kind of dies if we probably draw and dies if one of us loses so it’s very much win at all costs.”

“But the bottom line is this is a big, big game, a tough game for both teams and whoever wins it genuinely has a chance of getting in the play-offs.”

He added: “We still need the other top teams to trip up so we just have to win our games.

“And tonight on paper looks a tricky one so we need to be at our very best to get a result down at Bristol.”

Pardew thinks a draw tonight will leave his side and Rovers “walking off the pitch really disappointed,” so he expects both sides to go all out for three points.

But he insisted that is the aim every time he sends his side out.

“You shouldn’t get too wrapped up in which mentality we are going with because we go with the same mentality every week – to win,” he stated.

“I am trying to get a winning mentality installed here and I have said that from the day I walked in.

“We want to be the Man United of this division – we expect to win.

“And whether we play a cagey game to start with or in the middle period or whether we try and lock the game out at the end all these tactics are designed to win, not to draw or pick up points here or there.”

After Bristol, Saints have a favourable five-game run-in, with four of the games against teams currently in the bottom half of League One.

And when asked if he will fancy Saints’ play-off chances if they can secure a priceless victory against Paul Trollope’s men, Pardew added: “Without showing any disrespect to the teams we are playing, yes.

“Because we have got three home games and Yeovil away and Gillingham away.

“And they are not teams that are tearing the division apart.

“They are games that we would expect to win.

“But as we all know, as Ross County proved (by beating Celtic 2-0 in the Scottish Cup semi-final) on Saturday, you are always vulnerable to whoever you play.”