It's not that winning the division would be completely irrelevant or a meaningless achievement. If you're going to secure promotion then it's nice to do that in style, but in my eyes the importance of the championship has dwindled over the past two months.

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Leeds' failure to hold onto first place and the points they have dropped since the start of January have underlined the priority this season – to win promotion and to do so automatically, be it by topping League One or finishing second. Either will do for me.

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I'm often asked by supporters 'will Leeds lift the title?' but my answer is always the same – that won't matter to me until second place is guaranteed and the pressure on Leeds lifts completely.

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Back in the 1960s, Don Revie's United squad went up from Division Two as runners-up to Liverpool. It was a key moment in the club's history and if there was any disappointment felt about the fact that we didn't win promotion as champions then I don't remember it.

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All I recall is euphoria about us climbing into Division One and mixing with the cream of the crop.

If you think about the great times that followed under Don, it would be something of a joke to look back now and bemoan the fact that the second division title slipped away from us.

If Simon Grayson's players finishes this season with championship medals then that's a nice feather in their collective cap but the true delight for him would be the realisation that when the fixture list appears at the end of June, he won't be forced to leaf through League One's schedule.

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As things stand, I firmly believe that Leeds will make it. We've had a hard couple of months but I'm still of the opinion that us and Norwich City are the clubs destined to hold the top two places come the end of the season. In which order, I can't say.

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When it comes to the matter of who carries the biggest threat to second position, I'd have to say Swindon Town. They've been one of the season's success stories and they're coming good at the perfect time – scoring goals regularly and are unbeaten in 13 league matches.

No wonder their boss, Danny Wilson, has been nominated for February's manager of the month award.

But even Swindon have disadvantages. They have games in hand rather than points on the board. They have also played more games at home than away from the County Ground, and they face a trip to Elland Road at the start of April.

I'd never write off any of the clubs below Leeds, but they'd all swap positions with us if given the chance. That's what our players should be telling themselves. They've got a fabulous opportunity and a strong league standing – albeit not as good as it was at the end of December – and defending second place is an absolute necessity.

If the season develops into a dramatic title battle with Norwich then we'll all enjoy that and back Leeds to the hilt. But until the moment when promotion is secured, everything else is a bonus at best. A top-two finish is the only target that matters.