The last few weeks have been something of a delicate period for Championship leaders Newcastle United. An unkind run of fixtures saw the Magpies face Norwich City, Aston Villa, and Bristol City before a triple-header against three of the division’s top sides, all away from home.

They came through unscathed, though, and their claim to the Championship crown is as convincing as it has been all season. Wins over Brighton and Huddersfield preceded a draw with Reading, and although they’re only three points ahead of the second-placed Seagulls, it may well be the nine point cushion they have over Huddersfield in third that pleases Rafael Benitez the most.

As Newcastle come out the other end of a daunting run of the gauntlet, it’s always tempting to view life on the other side as easy, the hard work out of the way. I spoke to Jonnie Gorrie, editor of Nothing But Newcastle, to see whether Newcastle fans feel like their season still holds much to fear.

“Such is the nature of supporting Newcastle United, you're always wary of a slip up!”

“The manner in which they conducted themselves in the toughest week of the season was certainly impressive, but the home form has been a worry all season. St. James' Park can be a difficult place to play when Newcastle are expected to win. Hopefully the way the players dealt with pressure in the away games will translate into their outings on Tyneside.”

In their last home game, Newcastle found themselves 2-0 down after just 21 minutes to a Bristol City side currently teetering on the brink of relegation. Four home defeats in the league this season is double the number that struggling Aston Villa have suffered at home in the Championship. Indeed, if only home games counted, Newcastle wouldn’t even be in a playoff place. Away from home, though, it’s a different story: they’ve taken ten points more than any other team in the league.

You get the feeling, then, that Newcastle’s run of difficult away games would have been even tougher had they all come at home. The pressure cooker atmosphere has an effect on the club both for good and for bad, but when a promotion - that at the start of the season was the bare minimum of requirements - hangs in the balance, it’s more of a curse than a blessing.

“Had Newcastle been 1-0 down to Brighton on Tyneside the home crowd would have been very nervous indeed, something that hasn't really stood the team in good stead at times this season, but some players look to be hitting form at the right stage of the season, which should see them over the line.”

It does now look like automatic promotion is the very least that Newcastle fans can expect this season. Only a major collapse would now see them fall into the playoffs, but they do still need to see off Brighton in order to win the league.

“I think if you asked both Brighton and Newcastle before the start of last week, neither would overly care about who won the league,” Gorrie tells me.

“The Magpies will now see anything other than a title win as a disappointment, but Brighton have waited so long that the mere thought of getting over the line will light a fire in their bellies.”

From a Brighton point of view, though, their season could well depend on whether or not they can hold off Huddersfield, rather than catch Newcastle.

Sam Rourke, editor of Football League World, feels that the battle for promotion is centred around second rather than first at this point, too. “If i'm being honest I really think Newcastle have top spot in the bag now, they have turned up when it really matters this season,” he says, vocalising what most worried the Championship would become right throughout the season. If Newcastle do win the league, though, it won’t be the procession it threatened to be in the summer.

What about Brighton, though? Last season they lost out on automatic promotion by two goals and crashed out of the playoffs in the semi-finals. In fact, they’ve been in the playoffs every year since 2012/13, apart from one year spent just above the relegation spots. It’s certainly eventful on the south coast, but they may never get a better chance at promotion than they have right now, and failure to take it this time could be more serious than just another year in the Championship. If they do miss out, could they just crumble?

“That's always the worry with Brighton. But they’ve looked so strong all season - barring the odd mishap - so you'd think they've just done enough to hold off Huddersfield,” says Gorrie. And whilst Rourke is impressed with the Seagulls this season, he can certainly see the disaster scenario, too.

“Brighton have well and truly recovered from the play-off heartbreak last year. What strikes me most is their organisational qualities. Hughton has instilled a real air of discipline into the squad, and every player just seems to know exactly what’s required.”

“But staying in the 2nd tier would be a bitter pill to swallow for Seagulls fans, as they've been top two near enough the whole season. To fall at the final hurdle would have a serious detrimental effect to the whole club - and ultimately, I get the impression it would spark a mass exodus. With the club's most influential players like Knockaert, Dunk, Stephens and Stockdale all likely to jump ship in pursuit of top-flight football.”

The race for promotion certainly isn’t over, and even if the title race is being put to the back of people’s minds, the pressure is still rising in the Championship. If Newcastle slip, there’s a fair chance it’ll be their home form that does it for them. But if Brighton do, it could arguably be even more catastrophic: next summer would be all about who stays and who goes.

This is when the pressure starts to bite.

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