BRISTOL ROVERS TUESDAY

Can we close the gap??

This for me is the make or break game,Win and I think the playoffs are really on,Lose or draw and I personally think its game over.

On the Echo site:

ALAN PARDEW has described Saints’ trip to Bristol Rovers tomorrow as “huge.”

The Saints boss saw his side close the gap on the top six by three points courtesy of a 1-0 win over fifth placed Charlton at St Mary’s on Saturday.

With Huddersfield and Rovers both losing, only Saints and Colchester made any ground and Saints now sit eight points off of sixth place with a game in hand.

Though they are likely to need to win all their remaining games, they are still in with a shout. But the game at Rovers, the team directly above them in the table, is the hardest remaining fixture on paper and a win tomorrow could set Saints up for a dramatic late charge.

Pardew, pictured above, said: “It’s simple for us – we’ve got to keep creating pressure for the teams above.

“And we’re doing that, because we keep winning.

“I can imagine the Huddersfield dressing-room after seeing our result come through and Colchester as well – it was the last result they wanted to see.

“We keep the pressure on and we go to Bristol Rovers for a huge game for them and us, because they’re still in it.

“We look forward to that and, if we win that, then we’ve got a good chance of winning all our games.

“I think it’s a key game.”

Michail Antonio proved to be the match winner for Saints on his recall to the side. In a cagey game, not helped by the officiousness of the referee, a single goal was enough to separate the sides and proved Pardew was right to play him.

“He’s done very, very well for us and it was a big game for him,” said the Saints boss.

“He got the nod in front of David Connolly, Lee Barnard and Papa Waigo and he delivered.

He did what he needed to do.”

He added: “It was a tough game with two teams who didn’t really want to open up the game too much. The referee didn’t let us, either, because I thought he gave far too many tiny little decisions – the whistle never stopped.

“That means you are never going to get fluidity in the game and that made it difficult.

“We got a good goal and we had moments on the break when we should have got a second and we defended well.

“There was a good spirit in team.”

Maybe he got the nod because he is bigger and stronger than the others. His throw is a weapon that can be useful as well.