Christmas
We always lose at Christmas. We went into the Christmas period on the back of a 2-2 draw with Blackpool after leading 2-0, and our 11-game run prior to Cardiff (in all competitions) was LDLLWWLWLWD. Five defeats, as many as we’ve had in the league over 39 matches, but already on the unbeaten league run we’re still enjoying now.
Cardiff City, Barnsley, Stockport, Huddersfield and Peterborough stood in our way. The top team. Two teams that, on PPG, could have been above us going into Christmas. Improving Peterborough, surging up the table and Huddersfield, the last team to beat us and one of only three (Exeter and Chelsea the others) to win at the Bank. With our Christmas record, it looked bleak.
League One table after close of play on 19 December 2025
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 19 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 36 | 20 | 16 | 41 |
| 2 | Bradford City | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 18 | 10 | 37 |
| 3 | Lincoln City | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 28 | 21 | 7 | 35 |
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers | 19 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 17 | 10 | 34 |
| 5 | Stevenage | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 34 |
| 6 | Stockport County | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 32 |
| 7 | Luton Town | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 28 | -2 | 29 |
| 8 | Barnsley | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 28 |
You know what happened. A great win against Cardiff City, again with a typical City bounce back after conceding, gave us all a good Christmas, and had one supporter in Stack telling me he was convinced, without a doubt, we were going up.
Boxing Day we always lose, but again, fighting to the end, we bag a late penalty to get what I think was a massive win at Stockport. Barnsley, dropping like a stone, were pushed to a position in which they couldn’t just overtake us with games in hand after Adam Reach smashes a rocket home.
Huddersfield, still benefitting from Leo Castledine, grabbed a point against us, but in a performance from the Imps that everyone knows should have brought three points. Then the utterly relentless schedule brings Peterborough United to the Bank, and they tear into us. 1-0 up, play has to pause for the referee to get attention, we make a tweak and go on to score five against them for the second January in a row at home, a game Darragh MacAnthony later lauded us for winning.
In just 15 days, City have gone from being third, but with all manner of teams lurking and arguably seventh on PPG (depending on Stockport’s expected goal difference), to second and comfortably so, ten clear in the play-offs, but with a mountain to climb to catch Cardiff City.
League One table after close of play on 19 January 2026
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 26 | 19 | 55 |
| 2 | Lincoln City | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 42 | 28 | 14 | 49 |
| 3 | Bradford City | 25 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 27 | 8 | 46 |
| 4 | Stockport County | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 37 | 32 | 5 | 45 |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 42 |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town | 27 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 46 | 38 | 8 | 39 |
| 7 | Luton Town | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 32 | 5 | 39 |
| 8 | Stevenage | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 23 | 4 | 37 |
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