I like this way of looking at it. It makes what those teams have to do seem a lot more difficult! I am absolutely LOVING all these permutations, it's all so fascinating.
Also worth mentioning Blackpool: I had them nailed on for the playoffs, but their insane run of form is decidedly over. They've lost twice on the bounce, to Shrews and Rochdale, and scored once in their last four matches. If 74 points is the target, they need 6 points from their final 4 games. Not impossible, you'd think, but they have to go to the Stadium of Light (who admittedly aren't in great form but battered them in the reverse fixture last week, despite losing), go to Northampton (who still just about have something to play for), and welcome Doncaster, who, although they've definitely gone off the boil since January, I feel are still not a team you'd want to play in a must-win game. A failure to win on Tuesday and the pressure piles on for them.
Charlton's problem is they have Hull at home on the last day. That's NOT a fixture you want to go into needing anything from. And the game before that, they're against a Lincoln side who are rediscovering some form. So basically, drop points at home to Crewe (unlikely, to be fair) or at Accrington (not impossible, they've frustrated a few teams in and around the playoffs recently), and suddenly you're in must-win territory against the team in fourth and then the team in first.
I suppose one advantage these sides have over us is that they have margin for error. We don't. We have to pick up 6 points from 6. But it's always said that there's one side who makes a late surge that pushes them into the playoffs, and based on current form, you'd have to say that's us. As frustrating and avoidable as Tuesday was, we've still picked up 12 points in our last 5. In comparison, in that period Charlton have picked up 10, Blackpool 5 and Pompey 4.
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but Accrington play a big part, assuming we win 2 out of 2 that is. Burton could be the fly in the ointment though.
