Should Reading FC be fearful of Leeds United breaking 19-year record? | OneFootball

Leeds United have been dominant this season, but can they eclipse one of the most impressive records in Championship history?

Last season saw Leeds United break an unwanted record, becoming the first and only team to fail to gain promotion despite amassing 90 points over the league campaign.

Just under a year later, Daniel Farke's side may have their sights set on another, more enviable record: the most points in a single Championship season.

Leeds United are currently enjoying a 14-game unbeaten run in league action, and are looking increasingly dangerous as they continue to blow by opponents,

The last 18 goals in Leeds games have been scored by the Whites, and Farke's side have won their last three games by an aggregate scoreline of 13-0.

The title race this season is very much still on, so will the pressure from sides below continue to force Leeds to keep their foot on the gas and, if they do, will Reading FC subsequently be looking over their shoulder nervously at their seemingly unbeatable points record in a Championship season?

Reading's impressive 2005/06 points tally may be in jeopardy

The 2005/06 season will go down in history for Reading FC.

Following the 2004/05 season, where the Royals went on a three-game losing run to end the season and consequently missed out on the play-offs by three points, Reading were not in any business to replicate that heartache.

Reading ended up losing more league games in the final three weeks of the previous season than they did in the entirety of the 2005/06 season, losing only two games - one of which came on the opening day - en route to a Championship title.

Led by Steve Coppell, Reading had four players in double digits in goals as his side scored a league-high 99 over the season, and kept 22 clean sheets as the side conceded the least in the division too.

They scored in 43 of the 46 games, with only Watford, whom they drew 0-0 with twice, and Southampton (0-0 also) holding them scoreless over the campaign.

The club won 31 games, drew 13 and lost just twice, amassing 106 points - a record which is yet to be beaten.

Since their 106-point campaign, three sides have achieved Centurian status in the Championship, including Burnley two seasons ago, but no one has yet to hit or surpass 106 since 2006.

19 years later though, can Leeds United be a major threat to the record?

Leeds needs to be almost perfect to break the record

So far, Leeds have won 20, drawn nine and lost three this season, picking up 69 points in 32 games.

If you do the maths, Leeds need to pick up 36 points to tie, and 37 points to break the record currently held by Reading.

With 42 points still left to play for, that means Leeds have to win 12 of their last 14 games with at least one draw in order to break the record. It's a tall task, but one which Leeds may be up to given the form they are in.

Daniel Farke's side come into a three-game stretch against Sunderland, Sheffield United and West Brom in arguably their best form of the season. If they pick up maximum points in those games, they go into a run-in which consists of facing only two current top-half sides in their final 11 games.

If it wasn't for late equalisers against Blackburn Rovers and Hull City, Leeds would have won 10 of their last 11 in league action - so a repeat of that would see them on their way to becoming record breakers.

2024/25 Leeds vs 2005/06 Reading - A comparison after 32 games

With 14 games left in the season, the Reading side of 2005/06 were in a much healthier position than the current Leeds United team.

Reading only won just half of their remaining 14 games, drawing six and losing one alongside that, which shows how dominant the Royals were throughout the first three-quarters or so of the season.

After 32 games of the 2005/06 season, Reading accumulated 79 points, 10 more than what Leeds are currently on this season after the same number of games.

So, Leeds does have some ground to make up. However, if they can replicate the results in the final 14 games of their title-winning 2019/20 season (12 wins, one draw and one defeat), they will break the record.

Leeds fans will be hoping for something similar to that of five seasons ago, rather than last season's dismal end to the league campaign - both in terms of results and the end result of a Championship title.