JOE ROTHWELL cannot quite believe the quality of the Championship top four going all-out for promotion.
Having come through the ranks at Manchester United, he is now at Bournemouth and is spending the second half of this season on loan at Southampton.
Saints host Middlesbrough tomorrow — their first action in TWENTY days — before a huge clash at promotion rivals Ipswich.
The top three of Leeds, Leicester and the Tractor Boys are separated by just a point.
Saints are eight points off in fourth but with two games in hand.
The South Coast club’s points-per-game average of more than two is normally enough for the title.
Instead they face a huge battle even to get promoted.
Rothwell told SunSport: “The numbers that the top four are putting out is nothing short of extraordinary.
“At least one of these teams, if not two, are going to miss out on getting promoted — but that’s the nature of football.
“There are always good teams that don’t succeed. Hopefully we won’t be that side.
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“I don’t think you’ll see what is happening now in the Championship ever again. It’s a one-off.
“We’ve got a massive ten games to try to finish where want to.”
Southampton’s last league game was postponed due to Leicester having an FA Cup quarter-final — which they lost 4-2 at Chelsea — ahead of the international break.
But Rothwell believes the lay-off from action came at a good time.
He said: “It’s been a mixture of relaxing and training.
“We had a few days to spend with family and relax. Then we were back in to work and had another few days off too. After the amount of games we played before, it’s come at a good time.
“It’s allowed us to rest and recoup — and will hopefully stand us in good stead.”
Rothwell spent four years at Blackburn before going to Bournemouth in summer 2022 when they had just been promoted back to the Premier League.
But he said: “I started the first four games and a couple of others but we didn’t win any of the first nine games.
“The new boss Andoni Iraola came in with different ideas. I wasn’t getting much game time so we sat down to talk.
“Then I heard about Southampton’s interest and thankfully we got a loan deal across the line during the January window.
“I’ve loved my time since coming in. I enjoy the style of play that Russell Martin implements. That was a huge draw for me.”
Rothwell scored four goals in a month before Southampton’s longer break.
He netted twice in a 5-3 win over Huddersfield before grabbing a late brace to snatch a 4-2 victory over Sunderland.
His jaw-dropping volley against the Terriers won him the Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month.
And he said: “Originally, they wanted me to take the corner — so it’s a good job I didn’t.
“I lingered around the edge of the box and as soon as their keeper had punched it, I knew it was going to land in an area where I could hit it first time.
“As soon as it’s left my foot, I knew it was going in!”
