Without context, in simple football terms, it’s essentially meaningless and certainly judging by the reaction of Sheffield Wednesday fans their position of the top of the table is cause for frustration. But, in the case of Bristol Rovers, their record across 2022 speaks huge volumes for the progress made on the pitch under Joey Barton.
There are still two games to go this year, which could elevate the Gas even further, but heading into Christmas, only two clubs across the 92 who make up the top four leagues in England have accrued more points than Rovers since January 1 - Wednesday and rivals Sheffield United.
What’s significant from a Rovers perspective is that, whatever happens, it shows a monumental improvement on the previous 12 months whereby the Gas ranked 86th of all clubs with a paltry return of 45 points having experienced relegation into League Two and an indifferent start to life in the fourth tier. On points per game, they were 90th as only Newcastle United and Burnley had fewer than their 0.90.
The turn of the year has witnessed a dramatic chance in their fortunes with 54 points from a possible 75 down the second half of the 2021/22 campaign to secure promotion from League Two on the final day, and then after a muddled few months back in League One, Rovers have taken 23 from a possible 36 since the start of October.
Again, it doesn’t secure any kind of title but is evidence of tangible progression which Barton and his coaching staff certainly pay attention to as evidence of the direction in which they’re headed.
With an away day at Wycombe Wanderers on Boxing Day followed by a encounter at the Mem against Exeter City three days later, the Gas have the opportunity to end the year with a flourish and exceed 90 points which would represent a 100 per cent improvement on 2021 - a mammoth achievement in itself - setting themselves up nicely for 2023 and, hopefully, further improvement.
“I am really proud of the group and where the football club is at, but we won’t be resting on our laurels,” Barton said, in the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic at The Valley. “We want to make 2023 an even better year than 2022 and if we can do that, I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for our football club to develop and play in even bigger stadiums than this.”
You can see the current top 20 below, in terms of total points, with the Premier League resuming on Boxing Day. We’ll publish the final standings, including points per game, in the New Year…
Points won in 2022
- Sheffield Wednesday - 91
- Sheffield United - 87
- Bristol Rovers - 85
- Plymouth Argyle - 84
- Ipswich Town - 83
- Bolton Wanderers - 82
- Mansfield Town - 79
- Northampton Town - 79
- Exeter City - 78
- Leyton Orient - 78
- Swindon Town - 78
- Luton Town - 76
- Manchester City - 75
- Salford City - 74
- Liverpool - 73
- Wycombe Wanderers - 73
- Arsenal - 71
- Stevenage - 71
- Preston North End - 70
- Tottenham Hotspur - 70
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