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.
17. 8th: Bristol Rovers
The Gas are without a home defeat since mid December, which has coincided with their ascension up the league table. Plenty of their rearranged matches have been at home on a Tuesday and they’ve delivered on all of them. They’ve got 33 points from 18 matches at the Memorial Stadium. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
18. 7th: Exeter City
Taking their place in the play-offs based on home fixtures along is Exeter, who like Hartlepool and Rovers have 33 points, though their goal difference is four goals higher. The Grecians, joint with Hartlepool have lost the least amount of home games. | Getty Images Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
19. 6th: Newport County
The Exiles have made improvements to their home pitch which has plagued them in recent years and it’s worked out for them. Newport have 33 points from 18 home matches this year. | Getty Images Photo: Harry Trump/Getty Images
20. 5th: Forest Green Rovers
Runaway leaders Forest Green are in a slump at the moment and their somewhat strong grip on the title is loosening after two home defeats. Rob Edwards’ side have got 35 points from 17 matches at The New Lawn this season. | Getty Images Photo: Alex Burstow/Getty Images