With the game against West Bromwich Albion taking on mammoth proportions as a result of the failed attempt to beat Bolton Wanderers, this weekend marks the start of a three match series, each of which being a time where Aston Villa will be desperate for points.

Of course, the team have been desperate for points all along this season, but failure to secure more than present relegation rivals will mean the club from B6 losing their “ever present” title as members of the Premier League.

Whilst Newcastle United have proven that relegation is not the end of the world, there are many clubs that have fallen down the trapdoor and not returned – the likes of Nottingham Forest and Leeds United being two of the bigger examples.

Without trying to be too pre-emptive with predictions of what might happen if Villa do succumb to the drop, points, whether singular or three, must be secured in each game.

Villa’s fate is in their own hands as they approach the final furlong of the season with a simple case of bettering the results of Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers being sufficient to stay up. Bolton, a team who are also below Villa, have a game in hand so, if push came to shove, I would suggest it will be the Rs and the team from Blackburn who may go down if Villa do survive.

However, for Villa to survive, performances have to improve. Whilst the first half of the Bolton game may well have illustrated Villa’s superiority, the fact remains that the game ended with a loss for the club.

It would be easy to say that performances may not be what the club needs, merely points. This would be true, but it generally follows that a good performance will yield something, even if it is only a solitary point rather than three.

If Villa can get three points from their remaining games, and I imagine many fans predict two or less, then they will, in my opinion, scrape to safety.

Should they manage to pull something out the bag and get three points tomorrow, things may well be sorted assuming the teams below do not win due to Villa’s superior goal difference.

However, if Villa lose, and the teams below them manage to get a win, then the club could find themselves in a situation where a loss to Tottenham Hotspur puts Villa in the bottom three, with a potential that survival is out of our hands.

So, for the sake of Villa, for the sake of us fans, I implore the team to give their all. I know many of you may not be here next season, and thus are uninterested in the long term future of our club, but give your best if only for your own pride.

Otherwise, sad as it may seem, our beloved club may well be balancing on the edge of the abyss.

Villa were only safe at the end of game 37 last season, and could be safe earlier if Villa win their 36th game, but things feel different.

Perhaps it may come to bear that the difference is one between safety and relegation, but we can only hope that our recently floundering team has got what it takes.

Fingers crossed.

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