Going into the final weekend of the 2014/15 Sky Bet Football League season there is a lot still to be decided, and one of the closest-fought battles lies at the top of Sky Bet League 1.
With Bristol City having secured the title and one of the two automatic promotion spots, the final guaranteed place in the Sky Bet Championship for next season will go to either Preston North End or Milton Keynes Dons.Preston currently sit second on 89 points and are one point clear of the Dons, but it’s the third-placed team who have the superior goal difference - +53 compared to +40.
That means that when Karl Robinson’s team host already-relegated Yeovil Town on Sunday lunchtime, they need to better Preston’s result at Colchester to be promoted. Any other scenario would see Simon Grayson lead his men to the Championship.
Preston boss Simon Grayson calls for his team to finish the job
And should both teams win, the Dons would set an unwanted record for the team with the highest points (91) in English football’s third tier not to gain automatic promotion since the inception of the Premier League.
That statistic currently belongs to Sheffield United, who lost out on a top-two place to rivals Wednesday in the 2011/12 season, finishing on 90 points.
Should the stadiummk team also net four goals at the venue on Sunday against the divison’s bottom club, they would become only the second team since 1992/93 to score 100 goals in the third tier in one season. However, they are unlikely to beat the 106 record set by Peterborough United in 2010/11, barring a game that will be remembered for years to come.
MK Dons boss Karl Robinson named April's Sky Bet League 1 Manager of the Month
Both Preston and MK go into this Sunday’s deciding weekend on stunning runs of form; the former on an 18-match undefeated streak with the Dons on a 10-game unbeaten run – their last defeat being at home to Preston back in March.
And it’s not just at the top where the interest lies. Three out of the four relegation places are yet to be decided with six teams all battling to avoid the drop.
Click here to see the final-day fixtures in Sky Bet League 1. You can follow all the goal action on our divisional Twitter - @SkyBetLeague1.