Bolton Wanderers can achieve a maximum of 73 points this season upon their first campaign back in League One since 2020.
Wanderers are on 70 points as things stand ahead of next weekend's season climax against Fleetwood Town following the 2-1 win on the road against Cheltenham Town.
Kieran Sadlier put Wanderers in front after the break at the Jonny Rocks Stadium after great work from Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
Dapo Afolayan won a penalty after going down under Lewis Freestone's challenge but substitute Amadou Bakayoko made it clear he wanted to take the spot kick in discussions with the Wanderers top scorer.
He converted in style with a low finish as Scott Flinders went the opposite direction, but the Robins set up a tense finish as Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to capitalise from James Trafford's error and halve the deficit just before full-time.
Should Wanderers pick up three points versus the Cod Army next Saturday, they will end the season on 73 points, which should earn them a place in the top 10 and potentially ninth, should they be able to overtake Portsmouth who have a game in hand on the Whites
As things stand with games still to take place, there are three teams on 80 points in the form of Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers in fierce competition for the top six, with Sheffield Wednesday also in contention.
Wanderers boss Ian Evatt feels the standard in League One, particularly in the top half of the table, has risen this season and the points total needed to reach the play-offs this campaign would certainly illustrate that.
It appears that a points total of the early to mid 80 points mark is what will be needed to reach the top six and, though Wanderers have had a good season and have a great total for a newly promoted side, it looks like they will finish some 10 points away from the play-offs.
So how does the battle to finish at least sixth this season compare to previous campaigns and would Wanderers have been in contention for the play-offs in recent years gone by?
Last season, Hull City and Peterborough United were well clear of the sides in the play-offs, but Oxford United snuck in on goal difference with 74 points, ahead of Charlton Athletic.
The 2019/20 campaign is somewhat of an anomaly in this discussion as the season was curtailed early owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Fleetwood Town sixth and on 60 points, as Wanderers suffered relegation to League Two.
Doncaster Rovers picked up 73 points in the 2018/19 season as they finished sixth, though this was a high standard above them as Sunderland were fifth on 85 points, with Luton Town winning the League One title on 94 points.
Charlton finished sixth with 71 points in the 2017/18 season, three points ahead of Plymouth Argyle in seventh.
The season before that, Wanderers were part of the top two which went up automatically, and Millwall were sixth in the 2016/17 campaign with 73 points, with a gap of six to fifth placed Bradford City on that occasion.
In the 2015/16 season, Barnsley sneaked into sixth place on goal difference ahead of Scunthorpe United with a total of 74 points, with the Bantams again fifth and on 80 points as Wigan Athletic clinched the crown on with a total of 87.
For 2014/15, Chesterfield were sixth on 69 points, two points behind Sheffield United, with Bristol City winning the title with a total of 99.
Peterborough United were sixth in the 2013/14 season in a no man's land with 74 points, seven clear of seventh placed Sheffield United and 11 behind Preston North End in fifth.
The total of 74 was achieved in the previous season with Swindon Town making it in the 2012/13 campaign, three clear of Leyton Orient as Doncaster clinched the title with 84 points.
And 10 years ago in the 2011/12 season, Stevenage clinched 73 points and sneaked into the top six on goal difference ahead of Notts County.
It seems that the standard has certainly been raised this campaign with the potential final points total Wanderers could achieve placing them either in or very close to reaching the play-offs in each of the last 10 seasons.
Whether this is just a freak season in terms of points to make the top six, time will tell, but it appears to be a standard which is unlikely to drop with the likes of Derby County, Peterborough and Barnsley coming down from the Championship for the 2022/23 season.
