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.
