League Two promotion run-in: Contenders assessed

Just seven games separate Blackpool and a possible immediate return to the third tier of English football.
Blackpool are readying themselves for the final run-inBlackpool are readying themselves for the final run-in
Blackpool are readying themselves for the final run-in

The hard-earned 2-1 win against Hartlepool United last Saturday saw Gary Bowyer’s side climb back into the play-off zone for the first time since December.

A top seven finish seems the most likely route out of the league but Pool have hit form at just the right time, with no defeats in nine games.

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Automatic promotion appears all but sealed for Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, who can concentrate on battling it out for the League Two title.

Portsmouth, with a six-point gap between them and fourth place, look odds on to join them in League One.

But the exciting stuff comes below Pompey, where nine teams are in contention for four play-off spots and that race will surely go down to the wire, with just five points separating Stevenage in fourth and Colchester United in tenth.

Over the last 10 years the points needed for seventh place has ranged from 68 to a whopping 78, with an average of 71. Seven times in the last 10 years the team claiming the last play-off berth has hit the 70 mark.

If 71 points is to be the target figure, Blackpool will need to pick up 11 more from their seven remaining games.