Town’s task to close the gap on the teams above them in order to secure a second successive top-six finish is tough — but by no means impossible — according to Jonas Knudsen.

The left-back, who has only missed two Championship games in his first season with the club, says the immediate priority is to bank all six points from this week’s two home games, against Charlton tonight and Brentford on Saturday.

Asked about Town’s chances of again qualifying for the play-offs, Knudsen said: “It is a tough task in a tough league and only our best form is going to be good enough.

“We have dropped some points recently and that has been disappointing. It is the small details that can cost you — like the way we dropped two points at Bolton when they equalised from a penalty at the very end.

“If we had won that game it would have been our third win in a row and we would have been going to Cardiff thinking one point there would be a good result.

“But because we only got the one at Bolton we were thinking we had to get three at Cardiff and we ended up with nothing.

“We have two very important home games now and we will be going for all six points. I think we will need to win them both to stay in contention for the top six.

“We have seven games left and anything can happen but if we beat both Charlton and Brentford it will make our position stronger going into the last five and put us closer to where we want to be, in the top six.

“There is pressure on all the teams, top and bottom, because we are in a very tough league. Charlton don’t want to be relegated and their recent results show how hard they are working to get out of the bottom three.

“We say it all the time — there are no easy games in the Championship and we are expecting Charlton to be tough opponents.”

To illustrate Knudsen’s point the Addicks have banked 10 points from a possible 15 in their last five games, thanks to three wins and a draw, while Town’s tally is just five courtesy of a win and two draws over the same period.

Knudsen added: “Charlton have several good players and they had to come from behind to beat Birmingham, a team who are our rivals to get into the play-offs, at the weekend.

“That was an excellent result for them. But we are at home and we must use that to our advantage.

“We need to take our form in the Wolves game into the Charlton game and we know the crowd will be behind us.

“Then, if we can beat Charlton, we will take more confidence into the game against Brentford on Saturday.”

Knudsen’s performance levels have improved as the season has progressed, particularly in terms of pushing forward down the left in the same way skipper Luke Chambers, despite not being an orthodox right-back, does on a regular basis on the opposite flank.

The Dane added: “That was one of the things I had to learn and work on when I came over to England last year, for the simple reason I didn’t do it a lot back home in Denmark. I love to get forward and get into the box to try to score.

“Chambo does it well on the right side and I want to be the same on the left. But it takes time and you can’t do everything in a day.

“I think I have taken a big step forward since I first signed for the club and you can see me in the box far more often than I was in the past. I go for a shot or I go for a header and I am sure my first goal will come.”

Photo: Action Images

Seasider added 15:28 - Apr 5 Think sometimes Micks teams get one goal ahead and then try to hang onto lead,rather than increase it;which would a)take pressure off defenders and b) put more pressure o n opposing team. Think he has done ok this season;but should never have been given priority over Parr,who we lost because of it.
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portmanteau added 22:05 - Apr 5 realistically? nul points from midds sheff and derby. 3 home draws total 63. I think its all over, it is now.
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