How Huddersfield, Bolton and Reading FC's final 9 League One fixtures compare | OneFootball

We looked at how Huddersfield Town, Bolton Wanderers and Reading's final nine fixtures compare as they battle for a League One play-off place.

It is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive battle to secure a play-off place in League One, and a handful of teams will still feel they have a realistic chance of reaching the top six.

With Birmingham City looking destined to win the title, Wrexham, Wycombe Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Stockport County are all competing for second place, while Huddersfield Town, Bolton Wanderers and Reading will be hopeful of claiming a play-off spot.

Huddersfield parted company with head coach Michael Duff earlier this month following a run of four defeats in five games, but they moved back into the top six with an emphatic 5-1 win over Crawley Town last time out under interim manager Jon Worthington, who will remain in charge at the John Smith's Stadium until the end of the season.

Bolton also made a managerial change in January when they replaced long-serving boss Ian Evatt with Steven Schumacher, and while the 40-year-old enjoyed a strong start to his tenure, his side's momentum has stalled after surprise back-to-back defeats against Bristol Rovers and Stockport.

Despite ongoing off-field issues and the departure of manager Ruben Selles to Hull City in December, Reading have somehow managed to maintain their promotion push, and Noel Hunt's men are currently on a 10-game unbeaten run, but they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home by Stevenage before the international break.

As Huddersfield, Bolton and Reading continue to fight it out for the final play-off spot, we looked at how their remaining nine fixtures compare.

Huddersfield Town's final nine fixtures

It is fair to say that Huddersfield face the most difficult set of fixtures between now and the end of the season, with a number of six-pointers against their fellow promotion rivals.

The Terriers take on three of the teams currently above them over the next month, with a trip to Charlton on Saturday before home games against Wycombe and Stockport in April, and they host ninth-placed Leyton Orient, who will still feel they have an outside chance of finishing in the top six, on the final day.

Town also play two sides battling against relegation in Burton Albion and Cambridge United, and while the U's are likely to have been consigned to the drop before they travel to the John Smith's Stadium on Good Friday, the Brewers have found a new lease of life under Gary Bowyer and will be desperate for the points.

The games against mid-table trio Lincoln City, Mansfield Town and Exeter City should be easier for Huddersfield, but they have suffered some unexpected defeats this season, so they cannot afford to take anything for granted.

Bolton Wanderers' final nine fixtures

Having faced the likes of Wrexham, Birmingham and Stockport in recent weeks, Bolton have a much more favourable run of fixtures coming up.

The toughest game the Trotters face is against third-placed Wycombe, but having beaten runaway league leaders Birmingham at the Toughsheet Community Stadium earlier this month, they are unlikely to be too fearful of the Chairboys.

As they return to action following the international break, Wanderers have back-to-back away games against Blackpool and Wigan Athletic, and given their struggles against their Lancashire rivals in recent years, those fixtures could be tricky for Schumacher's side.

However, with only four of their remaining opponents currently occupying a place in the top half of the table, Bolton will be optimistic that they can reach the play-offs for the third consecutive season.

Reading's final nine fixtures

Like Bolton, Reading also have a decent run of fixtures to come before the end of the season, but their next three games could be fairly challenging.

The Royals take on a resurgent Peterborough United, who are unbeaten in their last seven league games, at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday, before a trip to Blackpool on Tuesday night and a home clash against automatic promotion hopefuls Wycombe next weekend.

Should Reading come through those matches unscathed, they then have five games against teams who are either battling against relegation or are comfortably sat in mid-table with nothing left to play for, which could give Hunt's men the perfect opportunity to claim a play-off place.

However, owner Dai Yongge has been given a deadline of 4th April to sell the Royals, otherwise the club could face the potential threat of explusion from the EFL, and it remains to be seen what impact that uncertainty will have on the players and staff.