Norwich City manager Glenn Roeder stated a few weeks that there is no such thing as a “meaningless match”. Whilst Norwich City could be potentially safe from relegation to League One by the final day of the season, three points will be on offer for both sides. With this in mind, it is obvious to suggest that there is no such thing as a “meaningless match” from that point of view at least…   However, there is another definition of “meaningless match” which is probably implanted somewhere in Roeder’s lexicon and certainly in that of the average football fan: a match is meaningless in the respect that one of the teams or both teams competing in it don’t have anything to worry in respect to going up or staying down; their league status is secured, they have been relegated with no last-minute hope of survival, their play-off place or place in the above league has been guaranteed.  This is what I am hoping for when the Canaries travel to South Yorkshire on the final day of the season. However, I am not holding my breath. I’d rather be pessimistic and be proved wrong than ride the wave of optimism on a surfboard of self-assurance and crash on the beach of shattered dreams knowing I need to find a guide to Hartlepool. Call it the safety option.   The Championship is an unpredictable beast; it is a very inconsistent league and whilst people lament the quality of it for this reason, it is still an exciting if scary league. This is why I am maintaining an element of caution: Norwich City are still not safe – even if the form of other sides below may suggest. Colchester are down; Scunthorpe will probably join them on Saturday and the membership of the third relegation spot is liable to change more than times than the amount of money Heather Mills is trying to get off Paul McCartney: lots.   Always remember: Walsall was relegated from this league in 2004 with 52 points. People have said that Norwich would probably need 54 points to be sure of survival; others feel that someone could go down with 55 points. As Steve Bruce once said, it is “squeaky bum” time of the season and I’d recommend the fans of the clubs in the bottom eight of the Championship to avoid baked-beans until survival has been secured. Unless you are a Colchester fan…   The Championship is an unpredictable beast: who honestly expected Barnsley to win 3-0 away at Watford ? Not many – but given Watford’s recent form, it was hardly surprising; a heart-breaking FA Cup semi-final defeat for Barnsley also added weight as well. Results like this are an apt definition of this league. As long as these so-called surprises continue to develop, don’t assume survival has been secured until it is mathematically certain.   What if Norwich have to travel to Hillsborough on the final day of the season needing a result / a favour in order to stay? Worry? Relax? worry. The facts don’t lie: Norwich have an appalling record at Hillsborough on the final day of the season. That said, when Norwich played Sheffield Wednesday there on the final day of the 1981/82 season, despite losing, Norwich were promoted back to the old first division. Is it unreasonable to think that such a thing could happen again, but with Norwich staying up instead of going up? No, but don’t rely on others, which is what happened on that day in 1982. Be self-sufficient; it is what you do, not others, that determines your destiny. Fact.   If we go to Hillsborough with our place in the Championship secured, then maybe I can sit back and enjoy the afternoon. If not, a repeat of that day in 1982 would be nice. Surprises in this league are hardly out of the ordinary are they?