Play-off/relegation watch.

[Stranded]

Yep Plymouth will but it may also have more banana skins than any other run-in.

[Sutekh]

It is in Reading’s hands so can’t ask for much more - just have to win every game left and the club will be playing the likes of Wolves and Spurs next season.

[Snowflake Royal]

Just looking at that table, we may well guarantee mathematical safety on Good Friday. We're currently 18 points clear of 21st with 6 games to go.

That made me laugh

It's amazing given we were relegation certainties in October, apparently.

[Dave the rave]

Yep Plymouth will but it may also have more banana skins than any other run-in.

Makes it more annoying we let that game slide.
Went with a couple of Plymouth mates and agreed afterward 2-2 was a fair reflection but looking back we gave the lead away twice at home which is never good. Coupled with the naivety of the one we thought was offside makes it even more galling.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

It is in Reading’s hands so can’t ask for much more - just have to win every game left and the club will be playing the likes of Wolves and Spurs next season.

What if Stevenage win their remaining 8 games?

[stealthpapes]

Then both Bradford and Bolton lose a game. .

Bradford play Bolton.
Stockport play Bolton.

Gets properly tight.

(Yeah, its not quite in our hands, Bradford can afford to lose to Stevenage and Bolton and still beat us by 1 pt)

[Crusader Royal]

It is in Reading’s hands so can’t ask for much more - just have to win every game left and the club will be playing the likes of Wolves and Spurs next season.

We don’t actually need to win all our remaining games.
We could draw one leg of the playoff and win the other.

[Snowflake Royal]

It is in Reading’s hands so can’t ask for much more - just have to win every game left and the club will be playing the likes of Wolves and Spurs next season.

We don’t actually need to win all our remaining games.
We could draw one leg of the playoff and win the other.

Couldn’t we actually draw 1-1 away, 0-0 at home and make the Final on away goals, then draw the final aet and win on penalties, not needing to win a single PO game to go up?

[stealthpapes]

Huddersfield did that to us in 2016/17

0-0
1-1 an own goal of all things
------
4-3 win on pens

followed by

0-0
-------
4-3 win on pens.

[Clyde1998]

3rd BOLTON WANDERERS
06 Apr - Stockport (h) - team in play-off contention
11 Apr - Cardiff (a) - promotion chasing
14 Apr - Stevenage (h) - team in play-off contention
18 Apr - Huddersfield (h) - team in play-off contention
25 Apr - Bradford (a) - team in play-off contention
02 May - Luton (h)

4th BRADFORD CITY
03 April- Northampton
06 Apr - Wycombe (a)
11 Apr - Stevenage (a) - team in play-off contention
18 Apr - Barnsley (a)
25 Apr - Bolton (h) - team in play-off contention
02 May - Exeter (a) - team in relegation battle
Plymouth (h) TBA - team in play-off contention

5th STOCKPORT COUNTY
03 Apr - Wycombe (h) - team in play-off contention
06 Apr - Bolton (a) - team in play-off contention
15 Apr - Wimbledon (a)
18 Apr - Exeter (a) - team in relegation battle
25 Apr - Peterborough (h)
28 Apr - Port Vale (h)
02 May - Barnsley (a)
Mansfield (h) TBA

6th - READING
03 Apr - Huddersfield (a) - team in play-off contention
06 Apr - Lincoln (h) - chasing title
11 Apr - Doncaster (a)
18 Apr - Cardiff (h) - chasing promotion
25 Apr - Rotherham (a) - team in relegation battle
02 May - Blackpool (h) - team in relegation battle

7th STEVENAGE
03 Apr - Rotherham (a) - team in relegation battle
06 Apr - Blackpool (h) - team in relegation battle
11 Apr - Bradford (a) - team in play-off contention
14 Apr - Bolton (a) - team in play-off contention
18 Apr - Lincoln (h) - chasing title
21 Apr - Barnsley (h)
25 Apr - Doncaster (a)
02 May - Wigan (h) - team in relegation battle

8th - WYCOMBE
03 Apr- Stockport (a) - team in play-off contention
06 Apr - Bradford (h) - team in play-off contention
11 Apr - Huddersfield (a) - team in play-off contention
18 Apr - Blackpool (h)
25 Apr - Lincoln (a)
May - Rotherham (h) - team in relegation battle

9th PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
03 Apr - Bolton (h) - team in play-off contention
06 Apr - Barnsley (a)
11 Apr - Exeter (h) - team in relegation battle
18 Apr - Wimbledon (a)
25 Apr - Port Vale (h)
02 May - Northampton (a)
Bradford (a) TBA - team in play-off contention

10th Huddersfield
Have Bolton, Reading, Wycombe but I think they’re slipping from contention.

TLDR, there’s still so many games between the possible playoff contenders that if any one team puts form together, it will mean beating teams around them (and us). Draws are probably what we want to see tbf tbh.

Not sure I can do the maths fully at this hour but my gut feeling is that it actually is in our hands. Too many points are going to have to be shared.

Added in those in a relegation battle (Rotherham included as one of their games in hand is against Port Vale), but perhaps these are only really relevant come the final couple of matches and we don't know for certain who'll still be involved by the time these matches come around.

That said ourselves; Stevenage; and Bradford could all be playing sides battling to stay up on the final day.

[East Grinstead Royal]

[quote="Crusader Royal" post_id=5635084 time=<a href="tel:1774975405">1774975405</a> user_id=59684]
[quote=Sutekh post_id=5634935 time=<a href="tel:1774943835">1774943835</a> user_id=39160]
It is in Reading’s hands so can’t ask for much more - just have to win every game left and the club will be playing the likes of Wolves and Spurs next season.

We don’t actually need to win all our remaining games.
We could draw one leg of the playoff and win the other.
[/quote]

Couldn’t we actually draw 1-1 away, 0-0 at home and make the Final on away goals, then draw the final aet and win on penalties, not needing to win a single PO game to go up?
[/quote]

Away goals are not used as a tie-breaker in the playoffs. We could go through after two draws, though, if we can manage to cope with penalties.

[Snowflake Royal]

Away goals are not used as a tie-breaker in the playoffs. We could go through after two draws, though, if we can manage to cope with penalties.

Ta

[windermereROYAL]

Officially safe now, and Lincoln are coming here needing just a point to clinch promotion.

[stealthpapes]

On the plus side Plymouth and Wycombe both lost, and Stevenage drew.

A win would have been priceless today

[Sutekh]

On the plus side Plymouth and Wycombe both lost, and Stevenage drew.

A win would have been priceless today

Yes a win would essentially have annulled one of Stevenage’s games in hand.

[tidus_mi2]

On the plus side Plymouth and Wycombe both lost, and Stevenage drew.

A win would have been priceless today

Yes a win would essentially have annulled one of Stevenage’s games in hand.

A win would have definitely turned Lincoln into a free hit because the way they're playing, we may well have needed it.

[windermereROYAL]

You could make the argument that Stevenage have a more difficult run in than us, they still need to travel to Bradford and Bolton and home games against already promoted Lincoln and Barnsley, none of those games are a given.
Of course other teams are in with a sniff too.
I reckon it`ll go to the wire.

[WestYorksRoyal]

You could make the argument that Stevenage have a more difficult run in than us, they still need to travel to Bradford and Bolton and home games against already promoted Lincoln and Barnsley, none of those games are a given.
Of course other teams are in with a sniff too.
I reckon it`ll go to the wire.

We're definitely not out of the race, but we're also definitely not favourites. I'd give us a chance of 15% - 20%, I.e., not likely but not impossible.

[Clyde1998]

Winning may have effectively taken Huddersfield out of the play-off picture. They would've fallen seven points behind us (albeit having played a game less) and the psychology would've been very different.

Today's results probably makes it almost certain Bolton; Bradford; and Stockport will be in the play-offs. Stevenage's game in hand makes them favourites imo; Plymouth would go level with us if they win their game in hand on us; both Huddersfield and Luton would go on behind us if they win their respective game in hand.

[Snowflake Royal]

Basically, it remains 'as you were'. Same as the last two months. We're close, absolutely in the mix, and we could make it, but we'll likely fall just short.

And then we have the summer to work on strengthening the weak spots and developing the play style.

And if we change nothing but starting next season better than 2 points from five games, we'll likely make the POs. And if we manage to improve defence to keep a few more cleansheets, thereby converting a few defeats to draws nd a few draws to wins, well we've got a decent shout at autos.

And we'll be coming off top 10 two seasons in a row, and maybe we can have a whole load less pissing and moaning and a couple thousand more in the stands