SIR ALEX Ferguson once famously called this stage of the season squeaky bum time' when it came to chasing a Premiership title.

Well, it's not just title hopefuls that suffer from it.

For Saints, the final six games of this Championship season could have a massive bearing on the future of the club.

They face a real battle to avoid relegation to League One - just five years after an FA Cup final appearance, UEFA Cup qualification and an eighth-placed Premiership finish.

Nigel Pearson's side do have some tough fixtures from which to get the points they require.

But they have been helped by the very inconsistent form of the other sides around them.

Trying to predict results is a nightmare and an experience fraught with pitfalls.

Nonetheless, fans everywhere will be doing it at this stage of the season.

By my reckoning, Saints will survive - with a small points cushion.

Read Adam Leitch's predictions in today's Daily Echo.