BOROCHAT

Records and the games that matter to us this Saturday

By StirlingBoro91Today 11:32Today at 11:32:59

Views: 77

Here’s a quick look ahead to Saturday and the games that matter. We could finish as high as 4th and as low as 8th.

Stevenage v Wigan
In our last league meeting on Saturday, 29 November 2025, we drew 0-0 at their place and slipped from top spot. As I recall (please correct me if I’m wrong), we didn't rise to 1st place again after that.

Wigan are currently in 16th place on 56pts with a goal difference of -8. Their most recent result was a 0-1 home defeat to AFC Wimbledon, and before this, a 0-0 away draw at Port Vale. Before this, they’d come off a 3-game winning streak with home wins against Rotherham (3-0), Mansfield (2-1) and an away win at Northampton (1-3).

Only 4 teams have scored fewer than us this season, 3 of which are now confirmed as relegated, but on the flipside, only Lincoln and Cardiff have conceded fewer goals this season. Overall, only 7 teams in the entire EFL (2 in the Championship, 2 in League One, and 3 in League Two) have conceded fewer than us. For anyone curious, barring a biblical defeat, Cambridge United have conceded the fewest goals this season, only conceding 33, with Lincoln the next best defence on 41 conceded. Not to harp on about it, but if you included the PL (which still has 4 games to play), they’d be 3rd behind Arsenal (26 conceded), and Man City (29 conceded).

Wigan have scored just one more goal than us this season, and a decent goals-conceded figure sitting joint 9th with Stockport, conceding fewer than 6 of the sides above them in the league.

Our record this season is as follows:

20 wins, 12 draws, 13 losses - 48 goals, 46 against.

Wigan’s record this season is as follows:

14 wins, 14 draws, 17 losses - 49 goals, 57 goals against.



Barnsley v Stockport

Barnsley sit comfortably mid-table with nothing to play for, but have been a tough team at times throughout the season and are the 7th highest scorers in the league, outscoring 6 of the teams above them, including us, Bradford, and Luton. Stockport could conceivably tumble out of the playoffs if they lose this game and Luton and we win. They have the same goal difference as Luton, but a draw would secure them a playoff place. Barnsley have conceded the second most goals in the league, with only rock-bottom Northampton conceding more. Stockport’s statistics are pretty middle of the road for the promotion-chasing sides with regards to goals scored and conceded, with the only standout stat being they have the joint 3rd most wins in the league.

Barnsley currently sit in 13th on 59pts with a -3 goal difference. Their record is 15 wins, 14 draws, 16 losses - 67 goals, 70 against.
Stockport currently sit in 4th with 74pts with +11 goal difference. Their record is 21 wins, 11 draws, 13 losses - 68 goals for, 57 against.


Bolton v Luton

Bolton have a playoff place secured, but sit only 1 point above Stockport and Bradford and would likely be looking to hold on to that 3rd place finish to secure what, on paper, should be the easier opponent in the playoffs. Luton sit just 1 point off us and 1 point above Plymouth. A draw could be enough on paper, if Plymouth and we slip up, but realistically, this is a must-win for them. Bolton have the most draws in the league by quite a margin, while Luton have won one more game than Bolton this season, but lost more than any of the 6 teams above them.

Bolton currently sits in 3rd on 75pts with a +19 goal difference. Their record is 19 wins, 18 draws, 8 defeats - 68 goals for, 49 against.

Luton currently sits in 7th on 71pts with a goal difference of +11. Their record is 20 wins, 11 draws, 14 losses - 65 goals for, 54 against.


Exeter v Bradford

Exeter go into the final day fighting for their survival with more than one eye on the Leyton Orient v Burton Albion game. They sit 2pts below Orient but have a superior goal difference. This is a must-win for Exeter, with a draw or defeat for Orient securing survival for Exeter if they beat Bradford. Bradford City would secure a playoff place with a draw, but a defeat could see them slip out of the playoffs altogether if Luton and we win. Luton currently has a superior goal difference by 5, so losing isn’t realistically an option for City. Exeter has conceded fewer goals than 9 other teams, of which 7 sit above them (the highest placed being Barnsley). Only Lincoln and Cardiff have won more games than Bradford this season, but remarkably, only we have scored fewer goals than them in the top 14.

Exeter currently sits in 21st on 49pts with a goal difference of -8. Their record is 12 wins, 13 draws, and 20 losses - 51 goals for, 59 against.

Bradford currently sits in 5th on 74pts with a goal difference of +6. Their record is 21 wins, 11 draws, 13 losses - 56 goals for, 50 against.


Northampton v Plymouth

This game feels like the most predictable of the bunch, with Northampton sitting rock-bottom and confirmed as relegated weeks ago. Plymouth, meanwhile, must win this game and is then dependent on Luton and us slipping up. They have the same goal difference as Luton, and I’m unsure why they’re below Luton (could somebody clear this up, please? They’ve got a superior head-to-head, have won more games, and scored more goals than Luton, so I’m baffled). For Plymouth to make the playoffs, they’d require Luton and us to draw or worse. If either of us is winning, Plymouth cannot make the playoffs. Northampton have the quite staggering record of losing the most games, scoring the fewest goals, and conceding the most goals in the league. Meanwhile, Plymouth are level on wins with Stockport and Bradford, with only Lincoln and Cardiff winning more, and Plymouth have the fewest draws in the league and have the joint most losses in the top 13 with Wycombe (12th). They are also the third top scorers in the league behind Lincoln and Cardiff.

Northampton currently sits in 24th on 35pts with a goal difference of -34. Their record is 9 wins, 8 draws, 28 losses - 37 goals for, 71 against.

Plymouth currently sits in 8th on 70pts with a goal difference +11. Their record is 21 wins, 7 draws, 17 losses - 72 goals for, 61 against.


I'm torn about how I feel about this Saturday.
I'd be over the moon if we secure that playoff spot, but a huge part of me keeps thinking of the game as a shot to nothing. Even if we lose 5-0 and get jumped by Luton and Plymouth, I think this season has massively exceeded expectations. I know the start we had got plenty of us thinking promotion, or a playoff place would be wrapped up by now (and I'll admit that I slipped into that briefly).

But given where we were on Saturday, 2nd August 2025 at 2:59pm, given the absolute stagnation in form and falling out of the playoffs altogether for a while, the ups and downs of this whole season, I'm bloody proud of this team, whatever happens on Saturday. This goes down as one of the great seasons in our history (where does it rank for people?).

I know a number of us, myself included, started having doubts about Alex's 5-year contract in the results immediately after it was announced (and I do wonder if that somehow affected him and put pressure on him), but I am so bloody happy we've kept him.

Waking up on that Saturday back in August, I would have taken survival. Now we could be just 3 games from a League One play-off final.

Whatever happens on Saturday, we're winners and one of the standout teams this season in the EFL.

Edited by StirlingBoro91 at 11:33:10 on 29th April 2026

reply to this article | return to the front page

1 person