Owls' bid to beat the drop could produce fine bonus if successful

The Owls start the afternoon two points adrift of safety and the possibility of returning to League One is haunting the club's supporters as they roll up at Hillsborough.

Opponents Crystal Palace have already secured their survival thanks to a midweek home draw against Premier League-bound West Bromwich Albion.

If Palace lose to the Owls and Scunthorpe beat Nottingham Forest, it spells relegation for Rangers unless they beat champions Newcastle United.

The irony of condemning Rangers manager Warnock to life in League One would not be lost on anyone at Hillsborough.

For the Eagles supporters, it would feel like revenge.

Back in March, Warnock walked out as they battled to stay alive financially and was subsequently accused of lacking 'morality' by former owner Simon Jordan.

There may have been more money at Loftus Road but there is traditionally far less patience with managers when things go wrong.

For the Owls supporters, an opportunity to chuckle at the expense of the former Sheffield United manager would simply be the icing on the cake if they celebrate survival.

Stuff and nonsense? A load of old rubbish? Only time will tell.

Admittedly, with four weekends to go, there is still a possibility of several different scenarios unfolding on May 2 – but the Yorkshire Post has always been willing to stick its neck on the line and make bold predictions.

Wednesday manager Alan Irvine says that 53 points are needed to survive this season.

The Scot would never reveal his predictions but has openly admitted that he looks at the remaining fixtures in the relegation scrap and attempts to work out who will beat whom.

Not that he finds it any easier than the rest of us.

"When we stayed up at Preston North End two years ago, I actually got the figures right, but I was wrong in the way the totals were achieved, " he recalls. "There are always twists and turns in the last few weeks of the season but if you take care of your own results, it doesn't matter what anyone else does."

The Owls were unbeaten in six games before Monday's home defeat to Bristol City plunged them back into the relegation zone.

Crucially, they still have control of their own destiny. Four wins from the next four games will guarantee survival – but Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Cardiff City, and Palace could have plenty to say about that.

This weekend's opponents Middlesborough, for example, are fighting tooth and nail to stay in the promotion race and have not lost in 10 games at home since mid-December.

Mathematically, next-to-bottom Plymouth Argyle can still stay up but, four points adrift of safety, are more likely to have been relegated before the final game of the season against Peterborough, which may turn into a dress rehearsal for a League One clash next season.

That means there are six, possibly seven, clubs battling it out to avoid the third relegation place – Preston, QPR, Scunthorpe, Palace, Watford, and Wednesday. Others, including Barnsley, Derby County, and Coventry City, are just about safe but not quite there yet.

One of the highlights of this weekend's fixtures, and a real six-pointer, is the clash between Palace and QPR at Selhurst Park.

Palace will be full of confidence after picking up seven points from the last nine and desperate to ruin Warnock's first return to the club. The former Sheffield United manager may have won the first two games after his appointment but has now gone seven games without a win, culminating in a heavy defeat at Leicester City on Easter Monday.

The pressure is mounting as Rangers slide into trouble. Another win might secure their survival but where is it going to come from?

No club wants to go into a final day fighting to stay up and Warnock will need no reminding of that after Sheffield United's relegation from the Premier League three years ago.

Scunthorpe's final game is against Nottingham Forest who are likely to be resting players ahead of the play-offs. Rangers, however, host Newcastle who will want to finish a memorable season in style.

Predictions do not always come true, of course, but two things are guaranteed over the last few weeks of the Championship; plenty of drama and more than a few tears.