I think we can safely assume that the four-way battle to avoid the drop in Division One is going to go down to the last couple of games.

Albion spirits must have soared after those three wins on the spin, but the two away defeats they have suffered in the last few days have put them back in the relegation zone.

By all accounts it was pretty tense and scrappy at Stoke on Wednesday which was hardly surprising given the respective league positions of the two teams.

But it was ironic that Stoke scored their goal on the counter-attack just after Bobby Zamora had missed a good chance for Albion.

The surprise of the night was Sheffield Wednesday. Where did they get five goals from?

I know Coventry haven't had the best of seasons, but I never expected them to go to Hillsborough and get done like that. I don't imagine Albion fans did either.

As well as improving their goal difference, a result like that will be a massive confidence boost for Wednesday.

Grimsby lost to Sheffield United on Tuesday and, if I'm honest, I would say that the Mariners are the worst of the four teams down there.

I can't see them staying up and I'd be amazed if Albion's last game of the season at Blundell Park meant anything to the Mariners.

After the last two results, I'm sure Brighton fans would be happy if they could take their survival bid to the last game and head to Grimsby knowing a result of some sort would keep them up.

Once again Stevie Coppell is spot-on in his assessment that the club which has good luck with injuries in the last two months of the season or makes an inspired signing before transfer deadline day on March 27 might be the one to haul themselves clear of danger.

Albion have put a good run together in the last few weeks and there's no reason why they can't do it again.

No excuse for Dublin head-butt
As a former centre forward myself I'm well aware of the stick you can get, both physically and verbally, from opposition players.

But I couldn't believe what I was seeing on Monday night when Dion Dublin head-butted Robbie Savage during the Aston Villa-Birmingham derby.

Whatever Savage said to wind-up Dion it certainly did the trick. His reaction was totally out of character and it didn't surprise me that less than 24 hours later he was apologising unreservedly for his actions. There was no excuse for it either.

Robbie seems to have earned himself a bit of a reputation, rightly or wrongly, as a wind-up merchant and we'll probably never know what he said to provoke such a reaction from a normally mild-mannered player.

But Robbie comes out of the game with credit. He kept calm under extreme provocation when that idiot ran on to confront him and it was Robbie who was appealing to the Birmingham fans to keep their heads when things threatened to get out of hand in the stands during the second half.

The 2-0 win has given Birmingham a massive boost to their hopes of staying up. The new players Steve Bruce has brought in have settled into the squad now and Steve seems to have bought well.

Villa, who have some tough fixtures coming up, must be getting a bit worried that they might be dragged into things especially as West Ham seem to have got their act together.

Mind you, if every team they played between now and the end of the season were as compliant as my old club Spurs were at Upton Park last Saturday the Hammers would probably finish in a UEFA Cup spot!

As a former player it hurts me to say it, but Tottenham were terrible and it must really rankle with the fans that while they looked so punchless up front Les Ferdinand duly got a goal against his old club and thousands of miles away Sergei Rebrov, who never really got a chance under Glenn Hoddle, was popping one in from 30 yards for Fenerbache!

Saturday March 8