7 Steps To Survivial
Monday, 24th Mar 2003 00:00

Seven Steps To Survival

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It may be a difficult thing to do but I posted on the Message Board soon after Saturday's result that we should be happy with the two away results even though the league position stayed the same.

We went to two tough places and got results against hard teams to beat and that is the main thing. The sad part is that everyone around us got results but that will not continue for ever. If we keep on getting four points from every six available then we will be safe and that is the thing that we have to look at.

We have seven games left - all of them cup finals - to secure league football in Swansea. It is all well and good looking at what the opposition will do in this game and that game but we have to be fully focused on the games that we have coming up. All seven of them. But one at a time.

I believe we should have a points target to aim for and I honestly believe that the target should be 50 points. I believe that we will not need that many to be safe but wouldn't we all like to think that the Hull game will come around on May 3rd with us mathematically safe from relegation? So we go for 50 points.

We start on the seven steps for survival on Friday night against Oxford. We have an advantage here as we can put points on the board ahead of the weekend. We need a win at the Vetch - we have gone three games without one and I believe we can get it. 41 points on the board. No worries about what happens on Saturday in the league then - we have the points that we have to target ourselves for.

One week and one day later - Shrewsbury Away. Yeah, yeah six pointer and all that but we remain focused on the target we have set of 50 points. Losing it will not relegate us - winning it will not keep us up - too early for that. We don't win at Shrewsbury very often Nineteen visits to the Meadow have seen us win just 3 times but we're fighting hard and we'll get a point. 42 points on the board.

The following Saturday we entertain Scunthorpe. I firmly believe that this will be the toughest test that we will encounter in the seven games. They are up there pushing for promotion and are one of the divisions better sides. A point from this will be a good result but I hate to say this - I don't think we will get it. We remain with 42 points on the board. Four games to go, eight points to obtain.

We move into Easter and two games in three days - Leyton Orient away and Exeter City at home. We will have a big support up in East London and although Orient could get dragged into this fight, I think they will have done enough by then and we will want the result more and we will get it. 45 points on the board.

Bank Holidays bring big crowds and big crowds bring the best out of the Swans. You can almost see it. Sun shining, short sleeve shirts the order of the day and a great Swans victory by 2 or 3 goals. We'll do this one comfortably and quite possibly send Mr Lewis into the Conference in the process. 48 points on the board.

2 games to go and we could be safe but we are short of the points tally that we want as we travel to Spotland to play Rochdale. Easy to say that they have nothing to play for but they are saying goodbye to their fans for the last time at home this season and they will want a win but we sense we are almost there and take a point off them. 49 points on the board.

And finally May 3rd comes around. With our 49 points we'll be safe and we'll be cheered on by a huge crowd on the last day of the season. All hopeful that we don't have to go through this again. It's party time at the Vetch but we only take a point. We'd have love to have gone out with a win but the extra effort put in by everyone in the previous six games has taken it out of us and we settle for the point. 50 points on the board and now the party really starts.

It can happen that way there is no reason why not but we have to be content with what we do. We manage the above set of results and we will not be reliant on others, I am confident of that. 3 wins and 3 draws from 7 games is not beyond us and let's not forget that includes a home defeat in there as well.

We have to do what we have to do and we know that points will be dropped elsewhere. This is what Brian Flynn will be telling his players - we have to tell each other the same.

TOGETHER, WE CAN DO THIS!!

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