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.
13. 12th: Swindon Town
A late winner against struggling Oldham Athletic has put them into mid-table for home form. Ben Garner’s side have got 25 points from the 18 games played at the County Ground this season. | Getty Images Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images
14. 11th: Walsall
Despite their struggles at the bottom of the table, the Saddlers have seen an improvement under Mike Flynn who replaced Matt Taylor. One of the most middly placed teams in the division, they have 26 points from 18 home matches, including three consecutive home wins. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
15. 10th: Port Vale
The Valiants are in a good run of form at home, winning three out of their last five matches, with the other two games being draws. They’ve got 29 points from 17 games in front of their own fans. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
16. 9th: Hartlepool United
The Pools are enjoying their first season back in the Football League after promotion last season and they’ve made their ground a fortress, losing just two matches, the joint most in the league. Hartlepool have recorded 33 points from 17 matches at Victoria Park and sit behind the next team based on goals scored, though they have played one game less. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images