IT MAY not have meant we lifted a trophy but the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in midweek could yet prove the most vital game of our season.

All the players were saying the same thing after we won the Worthington Cup, it would mean nothing if we were to go down.

But we all felt that afternoon in Cardiff could be a springboard for better things and a return of four points from two games suggests it will be.

That said we are still in the bottom three and there is absolutely no room for complacency. We have got ten games left and there are sure to be a lot of dramatic twists and turns.

But we have shown in the last two games that we are ready to work hard and fight for our lives to stay up.

At times people have suggested we are a bit of a soft touch but if you needed evidence that we have the bottle for a battle it came at the Reebok. Enough has been written and said about Coley's sending off but the most important thing was the way we reacted to it.

If we did not have the right character we would have folded but we kept going, Matty scored a great goal and we even had the chances to win it. The main thing was not to lose and that point was one of our most important of the season.

To follow it up with a comfortable home win was a cause for more satisfaction but we did make it hard for ourselves. I was pleased to get the early goal that settled any nerves and it was doubly nice to put it away with my left foot.

We then had the chances to kill the game but Coley was unlucky in his own private duel with the woodwork.

It was not until the closing minutes that we were safe with Duffer scoring a cracker and Coley finally getting the goal he deserved.

We can all enjoy our weekend off a little more now as the table shows that the race to stay up is even tighter than the one to win the title. There is hardly a game that does not mean something to someone and no one in the bottom half of the table is in a position to rest easy.

Let's face it, before Christmas who would have thought we would be where we are now. If a someone like Fulham or even West Ham, all you need is three or four defeats on the bounce and you have ben dragged into the dog-fight.

The fact that other teams have dropped points this week has also helped our position look healthier.

But we can't relax too much this weekend as we prepare for the visit of Ipswich Town on Wednesday. That will be a real six-pointer.