After a patchy run of recent results, Cardiff City still have plenty of work to do before their Championship status is assured.
After slipping to yet another defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Swansea City in the South Wales derby, Cardiff responded in style with a superb 3-1 win over Blackpool on Good Friday.
But an alarmingly poor performance and defeat at home to Sunderland has seen their efforts to avoid the drop stall once again.
Indeed, were it not for Reading's recent six-point deduction, the Bluebirds would now be in the relegation zone. Sabri Lamouchi was understandably unhappy with his team's showing in the defeat to the Black Cats, and will surely demand more from his players as they head into a crucial run of fixtures.
Cardiff do have the luxury of a game in hand after the controversial abandonment at Rotherham United, but it would be deeply foolish for anyone in the capital to start thinking the job is anywhere near done.
Wigan Athletic and Blackpool seem all but certain to occupy the bottom two places, but the battle to avoid that final spot is still wide open, with at least four sides still in the picture, including the Bluebirds.
Here's where things stand in the battle to avoid the trapdoor.
Huddersfield Town (19th - 43 pts)
Next games:
Swansea City (a)
Sunderland (a)
Sheffield United (h)
Cardiff City (a)
Reading (h)
Neil Warnock previously quipped his side had 'no chance' of staying up unless performances improved. Either he's getting pessimistic in his advancing years, or his mind games are still as razor sharp as ever.
Whatever the explanation, the Terriers have turned things around brilliantly, and Warnock is firmly on course for yet another successful salvage mission.
The Terriers have taken four wins from their last six games, taking points off play-off hopefuls Norwich City, Millwall, Middlesbrough and, most recently, Blackburn Rovers.
Tough games are on the horizon, with a trip to resurgent Swansea City up next, while there are two potential six-pointers to end the campaign, starting with a trip to Warnock's former club Cardiff, before Reading roll into town on the final day.
One suspects a couple more wins will be enough to seal survival, and you absolutely would not bet against Warnock getting the job done. Again.
QPR (20th - 43 pts)
Coventry City (h)
Norwich City (h)
Burnley (a)
Stoke City (a)
Bristol City (h)
QPR have sunk like a stone in the last few months, having won just one of their last 18 games.
Gareth Ainsworth was appointed in February, and has brought a few interesting methods with him. But they will need a lot more than a dressing room Haka if they're to avoid League One football next season. Indeed, they were smashed 6-1 by a Blackpool side that have been utterly horrid for most of the season shortly just after that bizarre viral stunt.
A 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion has gone some way to stopping a rot that's still on the precipice of turning gangrenous, but it's hard to see where the next win is coming from at the moment.
Play-off hopefuls Coventry City and Norwich City are round the corner, followed by a trip to champions-elect Burnley.
Ainsworth may well be hoping that Stoke and Bristol City, who look unlikely to have anything meaningful to play for, will have rolled out their towels on the proverbial beach in the last couple of games.
Cardiff City (21st - 42 pts)
Sheffield United (a)
Watford (a)
Stoke (h)
Rotherham United (a)
Huddersfield (h)
Burnley (a)
Recent results have seen Cardiff squander a previous six-point buffer between themselves and the drop, although admittedly some factors have been beyond their control.
Had they emerged with three points from their abandoned game at Rotherham, the situation would be looking a little rosier, but there's no time to dwell on any perceived injustices.
It's difficult to see Cardiff claiming anything from Sheffield United this weekend, with the Blades keen on cementing automatic promotion behind leaders Burnley. A trip to Watford could also prove tricky.
Stoke at home looks a winnable game, while the rearranged trip to Rotherham and the visit of Warnock's Huddersfield will both be potentially significant.
Should they win a couple of those, they might well be more or less over the line by the time travel to Burnley on the final day.
Reading (22nd - 41 pts)
Burnley (h)
Luton Town (h)
Coventry City (a)
Wigan (h)
Huddersfield (a)
The recent six-point deduction has landed the Royals firmly in the middle of relegation mixer, with boss Paul Ince dismissed after the defeat to Preston North End on Easter Monday.
Was it harsh? Perhaps. Certainly there's an argument that their slashed points tally perhaps heightened the pressure in Berkshire. But when you're struggling at the wrong end of the table, a winless run of eight games is always going to leave a manager vulnerable.
Noel Hunt has taken interim charge, and his first assignment couldn't be tougher, with runaway leaders Burnley next up.
Then there's in-form Luton Town, before a tricky trip to play-off hopefuls Coventry City.
The home clash with bottom-of-the-table Wigan, whose relegation seems inevitable, looks likely to be a must-win, while the trip to Huddersfield on the final day could also have a fair amount riding on it.
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