I wrote before Fulham embarked on the past four games that a double figure points tally is what they had to be aiming for if they were looking for Play-offs.

360 minutes of football later, they find themselves making the journey home from a grey and miserable Macron stadium with ten points in the bag, winning three and drawing one of those games.

That's now nine unbeaten in the league – form that has seen them into fifth in the table as they prepare for a fixture list that has thrown up Aston Villa, Bristol City, Wolves, Derby, Sheffield United and Preston one after the other.

If getting double figures from those past four games were the minimum required to see them into the Play-offs, the points haul from the next set of games will determine whether they are actually serious promotion candidates.

While it's clear to everyone just how big those next six games are, Fulham haven't got themselves into the position they find themselves in by looking at the long term picture.

We in the media, and you, as fans, are always looking ahead, at how the fixtures fall and what it could mean for the side, but Slavisa Jokanovic's side are taking a simpler approach – and it's working.

I spoke to Tim Ream after his return to Bolton and asked him if they next few games were season defining – a buzzword we all love to use, but his response was calculated and measured.

“We'll take it one game at a time, you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself and look too much at the table,” was part of the reply he gave me, and if that's how the side have embarked on this run of form then who am I to disagree?

Taking it game by game has it's advantages – the sole focus is on what they need to do to win that game and they don't get bogged down thinking about the long term consequences

The old saying 'take care of the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' springs to mind in the way Fulham have approached this second half of the season – they're taking care of the wins and the position in the league table is looking after itself.

(Image: Evening Gazette)

But no matter how you look at it, you can't help but look at the magnitude of the fixtures facing the team in the next month and a half.

Again, if the side manage to take double figures from those games, ten out of 18, they will almost certainly be in the Play-offs come May.

And that has to be the aim – anything less than double figures will see teams make up ground on them and it could look a bit bleaker come St Patrick's Day and the 12.30pm game with QPR.

But after nine games unbeaten, you would back Fuham to get points off those around them.

(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Villa, Wolves and Sheffield United all come to the Cottage, and you would back Fulham to do well at home, while Bristol and Derby will have to attack Jokanovic's men in front of their own side, and we know what the Cottagers can do when they counter attack.

Whether you're looking at this period game by game or at a chunk – there's no hiding from the fact Fulham face a season defining month.

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