Week 35 of the Premier League season threw up another great weekend of action and as the season draws to a close it is becoming clear which teams will be staying up.

Fulham were hoping to bag another victory at Craven Cottage over a weakened Liverpool team, just as they did last season. But goals from Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch mean that the Cottagers are almost definitely joining Derby County in the Championship next season. With just three games to go, a five-point deficit will almost definitely be too much to overcome.
 
Sunderland and Middlesbrough recorded poor results over the weekend but should both be safe. They face each other this coming weekend and a point for either would guarantee safety. It would be a major surprise if either team were to be relegated from this position, especially Boro, who have two home games to close out the season.
 
This leaves one from three of Birmingham, Bolton and Reading for the drop…

BIRMINGHAM (played 35, points 31, goal difference -17)
The 5-1 defeat at Villa Park was a disgrace. Brum fans must be seething at how their team capitulated to their greatest rivals only hours after falling into the bottom three.
 
The game was summed up by manager Alex McLeish, who admitted: “We were unable to string any passes together until the second half.”

'Reading have been woeful in recent weeks and Spurs and Derby could both cause problems as the Royals have looked bereft of ideas and the willingness for the fight'


Any team that can play so poorly in such an important game almost deserves to go down but the good news is that two of Birmingham’s final three games are at home, where they have been a tough side to beat all season.

They definitely have the quality to stay up and in Mauro Zarate, James McFadden and Mikael Forssell they should score goals in the three remaining games.

Playing Liverpool at home next week is a godsend as the Reds will definitely rest players for their Champions League game and McLeish’s men should also beat Blackburn on the final day as Mark Hughes’ side are unlikely to have anything to play for.

The tricky fixture is away to Fulham, but the Cottagers could already be down by then and one would think Birmingham will stay up - just.

BOLTON (played 35, points 32, goal difference -20)
Two wins in their last two games have dragged the Trotters out of the bottom three at just the right time. This followed a run without a league win dating back to early February and Gary Megson’s side may just have timed their heroics perfectly.

Despite the sale of Nicolas Anelka in January and the injury to Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton have somehow dragged themselves to safety thanks to some dogged performances plus key contributions from Matt Taylor and, on Saturday, from All Al Habsi.
Bolton’s fixtures are hard to call. They face Tottenham away next and will fancy their chances with Spurs having seemingly given up on the season after winning the Carling Cup.

They then face Sunderland, who could be safe themselves if they have beaten Middlesbrough at home. If not, this will be a real six-pointer and Bolton’s greater Premier League experience could make the difference.

The final game is at Chelsea and again much will depend on the Blues’ progression in both the Champions League and in the Premier League title race. But by hitting form at just the right time, Bolton should escape the drop - much to the relief of chairman Phil Gartside.

READING (played 35, points 32, goal difference -28)
After putting together a fine run of form around a month ago, it looks like the Royals have hit a bad patch at just the wrong time. They have failed to score in their last four games and have conceded seven in their last three and been overwhelmingly outplayed by Newcastle, Fulham and Arsenal.

Their panic has been illustrated by the recall of on-loan Leroy Lita from Charlton and it appears that Steve Coppell doesn’t know which players to turn to. The Royals boss made six changes to the team that lined up at the Emirates and the lack of fight was clearly noticeable.

In their favour,  Reading have by far the easiest fixtures of all three relegation-threatened teams. The away game at Wigan is massive but the final matches against Tottenham and Derby could well lead to six points.

Having said that, at the moment Reading look the most likely team to go down. They  have been woeful in recent weeks and Spurs and Derby could both cause problems as the Royals have looked bereft of ideas and the willingness for the fight.

In their game against Fulham last week many of the players froze on the day. Three more games like this and Reading will be playing Championship football next season.