Supercomputer predicts how League One promotion battle will unfold for Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle, Derby, Ipswich Town, Barnsley and Bolton

Data experts are predicting Sheffield Wednesday will be promoted to the Championship as champions of League One.

FiveThirtyEight have predicted the final table and the promotion and relegation fate of the clubs in the third tier. The Owls made it 19 games unbeaten with a 5-2 victory over MK Dons last weekend, equalling a club record set during the 1960-61 campaign.

Lee Gregory was on the scoresheet last weekend but insists the club will not get ahead of themselves as they sit top of the league. They are level on points with Plymouth Argyle in second but the Darren Moore’s side have played a game fewer.

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He said: “We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We’ll take it one step at a time and that’s the way it will be.

Data experts have predicted where Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday will finish in the League One table (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Data experts have predicted where Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday will finish in the League One table (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Data experts have predicted where Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday will finish in the League One table (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

“Once we get to the end of the season, then we can look back at all the work and say this is why we did it. Right now we’re just focused on the next game and I want to help drive the team forward.”

Wednesday make the trip to Charlton Athletic on Saturday while Barnsley host play-off rivals Derby County at Oakwell. Just one point and one place separate the play-off rivals with Derby sitting in fifth ahead of the Reds, who have played a game fewer than their League One counterparts.

Ahead of the next round of games, data experts have predicted how the final table will look. Using their attacking and defensive ratings for each team, seasons are simulated thousands of times to estimate a team’s final points tally and league position.

FiveThirtyEight’s predicted League One table

Team Predicted points
Sheffield Wednesday 98
Plymouth Argyle 94
Derby County 85
Ipswich Town 85
Bolton Wanderers 84
Barnsley 83
Wycombe Wanderers 81
Peterborough United 70
Portsmouth 66
Shrewsbury Town 65
Charlton Athletic 62
Lincoln City 61
Fleetwood Town 59
Exeter City 55
Port Vale 55
Oxford United 54
Bristol Rovers 51
Burton Albion 49
Cheltenham Town 49
MK Dons 46
Accrington Stanley 45
Morecambe 44
Cambridge United 42
Forest Green Rovers 32