THE Championship has a reputation for being the tightest of all divisions, but surely it’s never been closer than it is this year.

It’s possible that Town could go into Saturday’s home game against 23rd-placed Wigan with just a point separating the top six. Bonkers, as Mick McCarthy might put it.

Prior to the Blues and the Latics, or at least those Latics who haven’t been sold, lining up at Portman Road, Watford have a chance to leap ahead of Town on goal difference if they win at leaders Bournemouth tonight, while a draw between Brentford and Middlesbrough in Saturday’s lunchtime game would see the Bees also join Town on 50 points.

With the league so tight just one slip, such as Town’s at Brighton last week, can be the difference between claiming top spot with a two-point cushion and dropping to fourth, perhaps fifth or sixth depending on the results in the weekend’s two early games.

Of course, all the sides in the running for the automatic places – six of them as it stands and more could yet join the race – will have such slips.

Leaders Bournemouth lost to 10-man Norwich a couple of weeks back, let’s not forget. What could be more embarrassing than that? The key is not to let such minor aberrations turn into significant downturns.

While Town have lost two of their last three in the league (and three out of their last four overall, but it seems a bit harsh to cite an FA Cup defeat to Premier League high-flyers Southampton as evidence of a loss of form) they’re probably not in downturn territory quite yet. A mini-sticky spell seems to cover the current position.

Saturday’s home game against a Wigan side in a state of flux would appear to give the Blues every chance of getting back to winning ways.

Manager McCarthy may give the traditional pre-match warning that no games are easy in the Championship but the Latics look there for the taking.

Second-bottom, eight points from safety, having won once in their last 14 in all competitions and just twice in the last 23, they are a team that any aspiring automatic promotion candidates ought to be beating.

On top of that, the Lancastrians are going through a major transition at a pivotal point in the season with, amongst other exits, Callum McManaman moving on to West Brom, Shaun Maloney to the Chicago Fire and Ben Watson to Watford.

In have come loanees Liam Ridgewell, from the Portland Timbers, and Chris Herd, from Aston Villa, with Leeds defender Jason Pearce on his way on a permanent basis as recently-appointed boss Malky Mackay looks to reshuffle the squad and attempt to save them from dropping into League One only a couple of years after they were a Premier League side.

It’s a risky strategy, particularly given that McManaman and Maloney were arguably the Latics’ two best players.

If the changes don’t pay dividends then the manager looks like he’s made rash decisions at a crucial time and might well be handed his P45 as he departs for his summer holiday.

Of course, if they do bridge the eight-point gap and hang onto their Championship status it’ll look like a masterstroke and he’ll be hailed as a genius.

But however it ultimately works out Wigan will inevitably go into Saturday’s game a less than settled side, which ought to play into Town’s hands.

While there’s been a bit of a revolving door at the DW Stadium, aside from the addition of veteran keeper Paddy Kenny, Portman Road has been quiet on the transfer front since the acquisition of Freddie Sears from Colchester.

Perhaps more importantly no one’s moved on, despite Tyrone Mings and Teddy Bishop seeing their names appear in the tabloids on one or two occasions. Nothing beyond that though, so far at least.

McCarthy seems content with his options, happy to add emergency loanees should he need them between now and the deadline in March.

Looking at the squad, the Blues look well covered in most areas, although perhaps need another striker with only one, Sears, having been on the bench at Brighton.

Even there, once David McGoldrick’s fit, there are four players who have all pressed their case for inclusion from the start with Sears and Noel Hunt both having impressed and having found the net since joining the club. Just the sort of competition you need when you’re in the tightest year of the tightest of all divisions.