Six to go for all-time draws record

John Sheridan

ATHLETIC could be on for an unusual club record: the most matches drawn in a season.

The current tally of 16 draws has been exceeded only four times in the last 33 years. But John Sheridan’s side will have to claim a point in six of their remaining 13 games to beat the all-time club record of 21 in a season.

That tally has occurred twice. In 1988-89, when Joe Royle’s side finished 16th in the old division two, and in 2003-04 under Brian Talbot as he took the club to 15th place.

On the subject of statistics, extrapolating Sheridan’s current managerial record shows that if he had been in charge all season, Athletic would be on for a 66-point finish — easily enough to stay up.