We have come to it then, the great battle of our time...or at least of our season.

As the year dwindles ever-closer towards May, arguably the most passionate and important struggle gets underway as a whopping eight teams have their heads turned nervously to peer over their shoulder at the dreaded two relegation slots that remain undecided. So with Derby already doomed, which teams will join them?

Currently occupying those slots are Roy Hodgson's relegation write-offs Fulham and Gary Megson's under-performing Bolton. Unfortunately, in those two, we have at least one standout candidate for relegation and it can only be the Hodgson's Fulham.

'Roy Keane has installed a few vital traits that were so vitally lacking last time around'


Despite picking up a superb win against Everton at the weekend that saw a glimmer of hope reappear on a decidedly bleak horizon, Fulham simply don't have the quality nor character to dig themselves out of the four-point grave they have dug themselves into.

Bolton, however, have hope. Despite the massive blow in losing key goalie Jussi Jaaskelainen for the rest of the season, The Trotters have some strength yet. Kevin Nolan lays the quality and character to drag his club kicking and screaming out of this mess, backed up by the attacking prowess of the ever-unpopular El-Hadji Diouf. Despite losing Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea in January, Bolton have looked like a side capable of escaping relegation - a fact perhaps not reflected in the results they have achieved.

Just a stone's throw up the table lay Roy Keane's Sunderland. At the start of the season I'm sure most people would have pencilled the Black Cats into one of the bottom three. I was one of those people, with the memories of their last league campaign too fresh in the memory to give them any real claim to Premiership survival.

However, Keane has installed a few vital traits that were so vitally lacking last time around. Belief, hard work, grit, and the ability to grind points out of the last 10-15 minutes of games. They have been nobody's whipping boys and even when they lose, they have been doing it with dignity. Of course, that will matter little if they end up in the drop, but should the ex-Manchester United legend manage to rally his troops and return to form, they have enough about them to avoid disaster.

Further up the table, we find Birmingham. The most in-form of the relegation candidates, they have come good at the perfect time. Taking points from Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle in recent weeks has provided a vital basis for their final push towards mid-table safety. To put it simply, the Blues have momentum and that is key to avoiding being one of the teams looking for a way out when it comes to the last weekend of fixtures. Alex McLeish has done superbly when it has mattered the most and that looks set to continue. Although they have some testing fixtures ahead, the midlanders look the best value for survival of anyone below 15th position.

Finally, we come to Reading. Steve Coppell has had to endure some torrid times for the Berkshire club, with a recent run seeing them lose a staggering eight games on the trot. Reading have lacked something this year, be that character or a real leader to drag them out, or just in the quality of their playing staff.

Seeing only three points come their way out of a possible 27 simply isn't good enough and Coppell knows it. Victory against Manchester City has definitely given The Royals hope, but they are going to need that kind of performance week-in week-out if they are to survive. Steve Kitson has been great for them this season, but will his goals be enough to save them? Unfortunately, this writer can only see Reading going back to losing ways - starting with this weekend's fixture against relegation rivals Birmingham.

Whatever the result, we'll know a lot more about both sides' chances come 5pm on Saturday, as well as those of their relegation rivals.