Saints face a massive four weeks that will make or break their season.
So far Saints have had what could be construed as a relatively easy start, in the main we have played sides at the right time, as they were struggling to find their form, Leeds for instance have yet to win away from home, likewise Birmingham & Millwall, in fact six of our eight games have been against sides who currently sit in the bottom half of the table, only Leicester in ninth and leeds a place behind are in that top half.
It could be said then that we have not yet proven our Championship credentials, that our position at the top is only because we havent had to play any of the top sides.
This changes with this weeks visit to Cardiff, a game that starts a run of six matches that include games against four of the top six plus a difficult trip to Reading.
This period will shape our season, if we are still top after Middlesbrough head back north then no one can deny our credentials for going back up to the premier automatically, however even still sitting in the top six will be a tough ask, as i said on many occasions last seaso, promotion form is a two points a game average and this is what we need to be looking at anything less and we will almost certainly slide down the table a little.
The key to this will to come through this period unbeaten, if we can do that then we shouldnt be too far off the pace, given that it will mean the four rivals we have played will have also dropped points as well by definition.
Im sure some will accuse this article of being negative and point out that we are top of the league etc, but thats being a little blinkered, you can bet your bottom dollar that Nigel Adkins will be well prepared to face all of these teams, he will be sending scouts to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and looking to exploit them, he will also know that if we want promotion that we need to take points off the sides around us, yes we can only play what is put in front of us and we have done that well, but the season really begins in earnest with this trip to Cardiff, we now have the chance to show how good we really are.
But the focus has to be getting 12 points, ideally by winning 3 and drawing 3 of the 6, if we do that then we will be there or thereabouts, if we can do better than that then we will almost certainly be top or at least in the top 2, let the games begin !