Sunderland’s push for automatic promotion has been derailed recently and their form this calendar year has not only impacted their automatic promotion hopes, but also their hopes for a playoff place.
A great victory over Wigan at the weekend was just the response Alex Neil would have wanted from his side, however, their task is to now back that result up and cement their playoff aspirations.
The business end of the season is upon us and it is now or never for teams to end the season on a high.
The Black Cats will want to start to build momentum in their push for promotion and completely transform their 2022 form.
To illustrate how difficult that might be for Neil, here, we take a look at how the League One table would look if the season started on New Year’s Day:
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1. 1st: Rotherham United
Rotherham seemingly lead the way on all statistics in League One this season and have enjoyed great success in 2022. Only Fleetwood on January 15 have defeated the Millers so far this year. Record in 2022 - Played: 12, Won: 9, Drawn: 2, Lost: 1, Goal Difference: +15, Points: 29 Photo: George Wood
2. 2nd: MK Dons
MK Dons have emerged as the main contenders to displace the top two and this has been helped by their fantastic record in 2022 where they have tasted defeat just once. Record in 2022 - Played: 13, Won: 8, Drawn: 4, Lost: 1, Goal Difference: +9, Points: 28 Photo: Pete Norton
3. 3rd: Bolton Wanderers
Much like Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton’s form this year has also helped to fire them into contention for promotion. Only Oxford United have scored more goals in 2022 than Ian Evatt’s side. Record in 2022 - Played: 13, Won: 8, Drawn: 1, Lost: 4, Goal Difference: +12, Points: 25 Photo: Gareth Copley
4. 4th: Sheffield Wednesday
The Owls have left their poor early season form behind them and have put themselves firmly in the picture for promotion. They’ve won seven of their last eight games, with their only defeat in that time coming to runaway leaders Rotherham United. Record in 2022 - Played: 11, Won: 8, Drawn: 0, Lost: 3, Goal Difference: +11, Points: 24 Photo: George Wood