Bristol Rovers’ nail-biting League One run-in and difficulty compared to Burton Albion and Northampton

Bristol Rovers failed to ease relegation concerns as they were put to the sword in a 5-0 thrashing at the LNER Stadium against Lincoln City.

It was the latest in a long line of dismal away performances which come as a harsh reality check to a Pirates team that had taken huge strides at the Memorial Stadium with victories over Huddersfield and Bolton Wanderers earlier in the month. Overall, Bristol Rovers have picked up just 11 points on the road this season, the third worst of any team in the division this term while only picking up one more point than basement side Cambridge United and fellow strugglers Shrewsbury Town.

It highlights the disparity between the Gas at the Memorial Stadium and on their travels and remains a huge cause for concern in the final week of the season as Crawley Town aim to use that to their advantage in a match which has huge implications on the landscape of this year’s relegation battle.

Rovers will be desperate to pick up at least something from that fixture at Broadfield Stadium before gearing up for a host of huge games at the bottom of the table. With that in mind, we compare the Gas’s final nine fixtures to the rest of the teams down the bottom of the table and give each team a difficulty rating.

Northampton Town: 19th - 42 points

Kevin Nolan’s Northampton side are one of the lowest scoring teams in the division but have shown signs of improvement under the ex-Newcastle captain by only losing five of their 16 games under his guidance. A 1-1 draw with runaway leaders Birmingham, a 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient and a draw with promotion-hopefuls Stockport are all signs that the team are starting to move in the right direction.

Remaining fixtures

• Saturday 22 March - Northampton vs Blackpool
• Saturday 29 March - Northampton vs Cambridge
• Tuesday 1st April - Northampton vs Rotherham
• Saturday 5th April - Peterborough vs Northampton
• Saturday 12th April - Northampton vs Reading
• Friday 18th April - Charlton vs Northampton
• Monday 21st April - Northampton vs Shrewsbury
• Saturday 26th April - Crawley vs Northampton
• Saturday 3rd May - Northampton vs Wigan

Difficulty rating: 4/10

Bristol Rovers: 20th - 42 points

Bristol Rovers face Crawley in potentially a season defining game which is followed closely by some very difficult fixtures against Birmingham City, Bolton and Wrexham. The Gas will hope to continue their exceptional home form in recent weeks while improving their ability to pick up points on their travels.

Remaining fixtures

• Saturday 22nd March - Crawley vs Bristol Rovers
• Saturday 29th March - Bristol Rovers vs Mansfield
• Tuesday 1st April - Bristol Rovers vs Birmingham
• Saturday 5th April - Bolton vs Bristol Rovers
• Saturday 12th April - Bristol Rovers vs Exeter
• Friday 18th April - Wrexham vs Bristol Rovers
• Monday 21st April - Bristol Rovers vs Stevenage
• Saturday 26th April - Bristol Rovers vs Reading
• Saturday 3rd May - Blackpool vs Bristol Rovers

Difficulty rating: 7/10

Burton Albion: 21st - 36 points

Burton Albion are the only team in the relegation places that still has a strong chance of clawing their way back to safety, with Crawley, Cambridge and Shrewsbury all being 12 or more points adrift of safety. Burton haven’t played in League Two since 2015 and will have ambitions of maintaining that record this season under Gary Bowyer.

Remaining fixtures

• Saturday 29th March - Stockport vs Burton
• Tuesday 1st April - Burton vs Leyton Orient
• Saturday 5th April - Wrexham vs Burton
• Saturday 12th April - Burton vs Huddersfield
• Friday 18th April - Exeter vs Burton
• Monday 21st April - Burton vs Birmingham
• Saturday 26th April - Burton vs Cambridge United
• Tuesday 29th April - Burton vs Wigan
• Saturday 3rd May - Charlton vs Burton

Difficulty rating: 8/10

Read More: Bristol Rovers hit with brutal blow ahead of relegation battle six-pointer against Crawley Town