They can secure a fourth season of top-flight football by taking a point at Aston Villa tomorrow, or results elsewhere might do the job for them.

Once they are safe, Bruce will start planning in earnest for next term, and every effort will be made to land a goalscorer.
He said: "I think the most important thing for a club like ours is to try and get a striker who can make a difference.

"That is where I would spend most of the money if I could source one.
"Look at Blackburn, who have found Roque Santa Cruz and Benni McCarthy for relatively cheap fees, they've got two strikers there who can score 20 goals in the Premier League.

"That is why Blackburn are up where they are, it's because of their strikers.
"We've struggled for goals this season – our top scorer is Marcus Bent with seven goals, three of them were in the same game.

"Then we've got people on five and six, so we need a few more.
"If there is someone out there who I think I could get, I would be knocking at the chairman's door."

Bruce will be able to look to Emile Heskey for goals tomorrow, after the striker recovered from an ankle injury to line up against Villa.

He's likely to be partnered up front by Bent, although Marlon King could be in with a shout after a lively display as a substitute against Reading last week.

Ryan Taylor is set to deputise for Mario Melchiot at right-back – the skipper has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a groin injury.

But there was better news for Melchiot today in the fact he's unlikely to require surgery to repair the damage. With the recovery time estimated to be three or four weeks, it shouldn't put his hopes of going to Euro 2008 with Holland in jeopardy.

Bruce is looking forward to tomorrow's visit to Villa, a hot reception awaiting him because of his time in charge of local rivals Birmingham.

He'll take no notice of the terrace taunts, though, his only thoughts being on what he hopes will be one last push for survival. Said Bruce: "It would be nice to do it tomorrow, and we are in a better position than we were last week because there's one less game for others to catch us.

"Nothing much changed last weekend apart from Fulham winning, which was a great result for us, while Sunderland made themselves safe. With two games to go I would rather be in our position than the six teams below us.

"In order for some of the other teams to catch us they have to win two games back-to-back, which, in the Premier League is very difficult.
"We've turned round our season big style and gone from having eight points when I arrived to 37 now.

"I have always said 38 points is the target to stay up, and that is looking like the figure which is needed.
"I can't wait for the game to come, when I've not been at the club this week I've tried to switch off and get away from it all.

"At one stage I even found myself doing the garden to try and take my mind off things ... well, I was in the garden
anyway!

"The good thing is that things are still in our own hands. We'll have to be at our best to get a result tomorrow, because Villa are a good team."