Claridge is a pundit for The Football League Show and Football Focus

Next month's FA Cup fifth round match between Southampton and Portsmouth will be eagerly anticipated on the south coast, but will it affect the Saints in their bid to get out of League One this season?

This week, I look into the positives and negatives of that tie and assess Aldershot's promotion hopes, West Brom goalkeeper Scott Carson's international credentials and the impact that young Charlie Austin is making at Swindon.

I also give my views on how Nigel Clough is doing at Derby, in light of the criticism he has been getting from Rams fans.

If you have a question for me, you can submit it through Twitter at http://twitter.com/AskClaridge or use the form on the top right of the page.

Hi Steve, There's going to be a big south coast derby between Saints and Portsmouth in the fifth round of the FA Cup next month. Who do you fancy, when Saints are chasing a play off place and Pompey are playing for survival? And will the Cup game affect either side in the league?
Bill Chick, UK

It's a one-off game and a little bit special because of the rivalry but you can isolate it because it's not going to have too much impact on either team's season. It's more for the fans I think, basically they are playing for bragging rights.

Southampton boss Alan Pardew will try to upset local rivals Pompey in the Cup

It will be great for Portsmouth's supporters to win but at the end of the day it will just mean they have beaten a League One club - it won't act as a springboard towards them staying in the Premier League.

Southampton are on a fantastic run anyway, but their points deduction means they only have an outside chance of making the play-offs, so beating Portsmouth is not going to change that.

You can probably look more into the negative impact that losing would have - it could have quite a dramatic effect on Pompey's season.

But I don't think it will affect Southampton too much because they are clearly going to be getting out of League One sooner or later anyway. Even being beaten by Pompey is not going to change the way Alan Pardew manages, or the finances of the club - they are spending money and are a game away from getting to Wembley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

They won't be expected to win it either because, no matter what the rivalry is between the two, Saints are still two divisions below them. On the other hand, if Pompey get beaten then you do wonder where they will go from there.

What do you think Aldershot's chances of getting an automatic promotion spot are? The teams around us have been a bit inconsistent and are starting to fall behind Rochdale. I would be more than happy with the play-offs, which is looking a realistic achievement at the moment, but there is an opportunity this season for us to go one better than that, what do you think?
James Greenwood, UK

Kevin Dillon has kept them ticking over since taking over as manager in November. That's the sign of a good manager: someone who doesn't change things around dramatically, but just implements what he wants gradually.

Aldershot 2-1 Bournemouth

You don't generally take over at clubs who are in the position Aldershot were when Gary Waddock left for Wycombe - instead of a struggling side, he took charge of a team that were already playing well and has kept them up at the top of League Two.

It looks like they are trying to keep hold of their players too - they are going for it, aren't they? It will be a case of going for it this year and seeing what happens.

I've no doubt they will have to sell eventually because clubs like Aldershot always do, but they must be in good nick financially to resist bids for their best players for three months or so and good luck to them.

They won't go up if they sell their players but they've got a chance if they keep them and it would be great to see my old club get into League One.

Over here in New Zealand is a bit hard to follow the Football League, so wondered how West Brom's Scott Carson is going this season. With all the talk on prospective English goalkeepers for this summer, wondered why Scott's name never seems to arise?
Antony Harvey, New Zealand

It is because Scott is playing outside the Premier League and, also, because he will always be remembered for his mistake against Croatia that meant England missed out on qualifying for the finals of Euro 2008.

Carson has fallen down the pecking order of England goalkeepers

Scott, to be fair, has got parts of his game that are very, very good but others that aren't and to be England's goalkeeper your game has to be almost flawless. He reminds me of Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson in that he is very much a confidence player - when he is playing well, everything is great but when it isn't he is half the player, and you can see that with his body language and his decision making.

As well as being outside the top flight, that is why he has fallen away and I don't think, at this stage, he is ready for international football again.

have you had a chance to note the impact Charlie Austin is making after 13 games of professional football at Swindon? He seems to have a real instinct for goal.
Mark Stallard, UK

You couldn't fail to, could you!? He's done brilliantly and the speed at which he has made the step up from playing for Poole Town is extraordinary.

He's gone straight into Swindon's first team, and gone straight into scoring goals - eight so far. He's got 'goalscorer' written all over him with some of the positions he takes and the goals he have scored - you can't teach that, or his awareness or anticipation. That's a gift that all great goalscorers have.

It's been amazing the progress he has made, and in League One which is a strong division this year. It's very early but he looks a player already.

Swindon seem to have got themselves in the mix for the play-offs - it was always going to be a case of how they coped with losing Simon Cox to West Brom in the summer and their manager Danny Wilson has built a very strong team.

Vincent Pericard is going to score goals at that level too and what is important for Austin, Billy Paynter - who is also a decent player - and their other strikers too is that they are playing for a team that is going to create chances.

Will they make the play-offs? I think so, yes. Danny has a mixed track record at his different clubs but he has done a great job at a couple of them and he is doing the same with Swindon. He knows his way around League One, he knows what is needed there, and seems to have got it.

I'm interested in your views on the disappointing lack of success at Derby County under Nigel Clough? Do you think his father's achievements are too big a burden for the man or was it perhaps a mistake on the Derby board's part in taking on an unproven manager because of his surname?
John Simmons

It's nothing to do with Brian Clough for a start! Nigel can either do the job or he can't.

Now, with all due respect, he took a while to turn Burton around - he spent 10 years there and it didn't happen overnight and it was never going to happen quickly for him at Derby either.

Clough has come under fire from Derby fans over his side's results

His turnover of players has been incredible in terms of the number he has got off their wage bill so there are extenuating circumstances. Yes, they should be doing better than they are, but not by much.

We are talking about them being four or five places higher up the Championship table - not challenging for the play-offs or anything like that.

He needs to do his job better and his side need to perform better but we are not talking about major underachievement here and I think the fans have got to understand the size of the task he has taken on.

Nigel needs time, and I'm sure Derby will improve - they will definitely stay up this season too.

Steve Claridge is a BBC Football League pundit who played more than 800 matches for 15 clubs over the course of a 24-year playing career. He was talking to Chris Bevan.

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