We have to go for it on Saturday

This Saturday should see a bumper Boxing Day crowd at the Valley for the 1pm kick-off with Swindon Town. It's the half-way match from which we can assess our season so far and take time to make some predictions about how we will fare second-half.

As I have said before, we needed to win the five games up to and including Swindon to match the 51 points we gained in the 80-81 promotion season from this division. We are, obviously, now at least two short of that total but a win on Saturday and we will be left looking for 35 points in the second-half to match that historic promotion achievement.

Swindon have been hard to beat on their travels having lost only three times (Gills,Norwich and Bristol Rovers) but the rest of their away games have been against opposition 10th or lower, so we should be confident about beating them.

I firmly believe we have the squad to win most of the matches we play in this division but I have reservations about our approach in many games which seems to be that we want to hold onto leads rather than extend them. That was true again on Saturday when a more positive approach when we were twice in front might have got us the two-goal lead that would have killed Millwall off. For a top side we aren't handing out enough thumpings either. MK Dons at home and Tranmere away are the only two games we have won by a three goal margin and two of those at Tranmere were a touch freaky. Maybe I am being unrealistic or selfish here but I believe we need the added confidence that comes with big wins to take us through some of the nail-biters will will inevitably get before the end of the season, particular from the Millwall away game onwards (13th March).

Swindon would be a good place to start. Boxing Day matches can be unusually one-sided and often throw up big line-up surprises that question what's gone on in the days immediately beforehand. I am trusting our players won't be jetting off to Dublin for a booze-up or anything that unprofessional and that they will all be present and ready on Saturday to kick-start the holiday programme. It would make a pleasant change to be two-up at half-time and kill the game with a third early into the second-half and then go hammer and tongs for more. I don't think that's asking too much from promotion contenders. Norwich are doing it quite regularly even if Leeds have been as reliant on their parsimonious defence as on Robert Snodgrass and Jason Beckford's goals.

I'll settle for the odd-goal victory at Brentford and Walsall, but can we please take the game to Swindon, Hartlepool, Orient, Tranmere, Yeovil, Brighton and Stockport in our next seven home games. We've yet to play Swindon but we've already beaten five of the others at their place and drawn with the remaining one.