Bristol Rovers are involved in a battle royal to get out of League Two with an automatic promotion finish not out of the realms of possibility whilst a play-off spot is close.
The Gas have not lost a game at home since the turn of the New Year and that has brought some optimism around the Memorial Stadium with sold out crowds and a positive atmosphere around the West Country.
With five home games left against Colchester United, Bradford City, Salford City, Forest Green Rovers and Scunthorpe United, Rovers will need to be at their top of their game and claim as close to maximum points as possible. If they can do that then they’ll stand themselves a good chance of getting promotion at the first time of asking after their relegation last year.
For any manager, the key to success is building up good home form and then being hard to beat on the road, with the hosts always expected to perform better given it is their natural environment.
Some teams in the fourth level of English football though have struggled in front of their home fans this year whilst performing well on the road, whilst other teams have just been steady and recorded what is needed to preserve their status in the division.
Despite playing in front of some of the bigger crowds, home sides can sometimes not perform in front of their own fan base, despite ranking highly for attendances. You can take a look at where Bristol Rovers, Bradford City and Northampton fans rank amongst League Two’s home crowds and see how they compare with how the teams have actually performed in games.
Take a look at how the League Two table would look if only home results had counted this season.
1. 24th: Scunthorpe United
The Irons, bottom of League Two right now, have picked up 14 points from a possible 42 at Glanford Park, the lowest in the division. Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
2. 23rd: Oldham Athletic
John Sheridan may have improved their form slightly but the Latics are still struggling at Boundary Park. They’ve got 15 points on the board from 16 home matches. Photo: James Gill/Getty Images
3. 22nd: Barrow
The Bluebirds are slightly better than the two sides currently in the League Two drop zone, but five draws in their last five home matches, gives the men from Cumbria, 18 points from 18 home games, which is a point per game. Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
4. 21st: Colchester United
Their home attendances aren’t the greatest and that perhaps is why their home form isn’t great either. The U’s have 20 points from 18 games this season, though they have improved under Wayne Brown, losing just one of their last five in Essex. Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images