If you're looking for a good time in the season to hit form, then now makes a lot of sense. A football season is often compared to a marathon, but that isn't always the best of analogies given that form of racing isn't usually decided in the final stages of the event.
In Bristol Rovers' case, an 800m or 1500m middle-distance event looks more apt as they hunt down a play-off position with 16 matches remaining. Because the key for the Gas in reaching the top seven won't be about their difficult start, or inconsistencies from autumn into winter, it'll be whether they can maintain this current form into what will be a sprint finish over the last lap.
Rovers rank second overall in the League Two form table over the last 10 games, their 21-point haul only bettered by Mansfield Town's 24. And if Barton's side maintain that rate, they'll finish in the 78-point range which was good enough for fourth last season and the 2018/19 campaign.
That would be some dash to the finish line for the blue and white quarters and is also probably a touch ambitious, given how much can happen over the remaining 16 games, but there's no doubt Rovers have the attacking quality to give it a good go.
FiveThirtyEight currently project the Gas to finish ninth with 69 points but give them a 30 per cent chance of taking their season beyond May 7 and into the play-offs while they still retain a 16 point chance of securing automatic promotion, according to their statistics model.
Use our league predictor below to plot your own forecast, not just as to where Rovers will finish but the rest of League Two's 24 teams.
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