AS WE enter the final ten games of the Premier League season there is excitement at both ends of the table.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal look set to contest the fiercest fight for the title fans have seen in years.

But there is also a battle brewing at the foot of the league, with up to eight teams still scrapping to dodge the drop.

We can already write off Portsmouth who, with just 19 points, are five points from safety, but are expected to be hit with a nine-point penalty for becoming the first Premier League club to go into administration.

But the final two places are far from decided. Eighteenth and 19th are currently occupied by Hull City and Burnley, but level on points with them and keeping their head just above the water on goal difference is Wolves.

West Ham sit three points above them, while recent wins for Bolton, Sunderland and Wigan have provided some much-needed breathing space.

For me, these four clubs all have too much in the tank to be sucked into the bottom three.

Sunderland were looking good money for a European place after an incredible first third of the season but have since endured an inexplicable collapse. However, their 4-0 triumph over Bolton at the Stadium of Light – their first league win since November – will signal a reversal in form and the Black Cats will now push on into mid-table.

Bolton, while far from the slick, free-flowing machine that boss Owen Coyle wishes them to become, demonstrated that they have enough attacking options to remain in the division. Kevin Davies, up front, is an extremely effective bully of defenders, and one of several strikers in the league that any backline will dread facing.

He has found allies in the shape of Arsenal’s on-loan whizkid Jack Wilshere and Asian prodigy Chung-Yong Lee. Both have come into their own of late and should provide Davies with enough support for the team to survive.

Wigan, on 28 points, are four above the relegation zone. They, too, could yet struggle, although their impressive 1-0 win over Liverpool this week will do wonders for their confidence.

The Latics are not out of the woods just yet, however, and will need several more victories to guarantee their survival.

Of the four sides with a bit of breathing space between themselves and the bottom three, it is Wigan and West Ham who are more likely to be sucked in.

The Hammers looked to have finally dragged themselves away from danger with home wins against Birmingham and Hull. But an abject display against fellow strugglers Bolton last week has hauled them back into the mix.

With two of the toughest fixtures of their season at Stamford Bridge and Emirates Stadium next on the slate, Gianfranco Zola and his troops could find themselves getting a little too close to the bottom feeders for comfort.

However, it is my belief that the two to join Pompey in the Championship will come from Wolves, Burnley and Hull.

For my money, Phil Brown’s Tigers will be the next side to be cut adrift. A steady home record has been coupled with a dreadful run on the road – second only to Burnley.

A toothlessness up front and an alarming vulnerability at the back means they are unlikely to pick up any points against teams in the top half between now and the end of the season.

Home games against Sunderland, Burnley and a trip to Wigan could determine their fate.

Joining them for the drop will, in my opinion, be Wolves.

While Burnley have picked up the solitary point away from Turf Moor all season, Wolves, like Hull, are incapable of threatening opposing defences on a regular basis. And, when players like Sam Vokes miss gilt-edged chances to snatch a point against the likes of defending Premier League champions, Manchester United, as he did in the last minute on Saturday, then you are asking for trouble.

Such is the rarity that they create these chances, that the panic quickly sets in and the opportunity goes begging.

Burnley have slightly more to offer, with David Nugent finding a new lease of life up front, and Chris Eagles and Stephen Fletcher also two attacking threats, they may score enough goals to survive…just.

One thing is for sure, this one is going right to the wire.