November 2025 is done – and we’re now more than a third of the way through the current campaign. Is it one of our best so far? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. And we may also forgive ourselves for asking if the first four months are a reliable guide as to how this season will continue to pan out. We’re in a decent enough position, alright. But what does our progress at this stage in past years have to tell us?
One thing we’ll start off here that (probably) won’t come up otherwise. Our tally of 11 goals conceded is the lowest recorded at the end of November – with the exception of one other season. We’d only let in eight by the start of December during the 1983-84 United Counties League Premier Division season. But that was from a measly 10 fixtures, which works out at 0.80 goals per game. This year? It’s 0.69 goals per game conceded so far.
On an average basis, only the 2009-10 (0.68) is better at the end of November.
League One comparison at this stage
In terms of points on the board, we’re not faring too badly at all this season. We’re only five points worse off than the 2023-24 campaign. That’s the most amount of points we’ve gained by the end of November in League One. Next is the 2012-13 season, where we’d earned 34 by the start of December. If we look at things through a PPG lens, however, it all looks different by virtue of the fact we’ve played four fewer at this point compared to those two seasons.
FACT:
OK, we’re four games in arrears if you want to look at it like that – and anything can happen in said quartet. But we’ve never been doing so nicely at the end of November than this year. Our current PPG going into December is 1.94, which compares with 2023-24 (1.80) and 2012-13 (1.70). No point looking at other League One seasons as we’re outperforming those however you choose to look at it.
| Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
| 2023-4 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 29 | 19 | 36 | 10 |
| 2012-3 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 27 | 34 | 0 |
| 2025-6 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 11 | 31 | 8 |
| 2011-2 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 18 | 28 | 6 |
| 2024-5 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 19 | -5 |
| 2013-4 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 19 | 32 | 17 | -13 |
Are there any lookalike seasons?
Short answer: yes. There are a handful of seasons in which we reached the end of November with 16 league games chalked off. That is actually the joint lowest total of matches played at this stage in a regular 46-fixture campaign. Cheers to international breaks, eh? The reason to qualify this with regular is because we’d only played 14 times by the end of November 2020 – a season that had a delayed start due to the ‘rona.
Anyway, let’s move on.
We can debate the merits of comparing apples and oranges, or League One campaigns with Isthmian League Division One. But shall we not? We’re just throwing out these numbers. The 1985-6 and 1991-2 seasons both ended in league title success. So, it’s no real shock to see us rollicking along at the end of November of those respective years; Boro’ having attained 2.19 and 2.31 points per game respectively. Respect. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to us.
The other lookalike seasons – 1998-9 and 1999-00 – are hardly dismal by comparison. They certainly outmuscle last season. But this campaign, with us already at the 30-point mark, is making those records look a little less favourable.
| Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
| 1991-2 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 16 | 37 | 17 |
| 1985-6 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 15 | 35 | 20 |
| 1999-00 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 28 | 21 | 26 | 7 |
| 1998-9 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 32 | 26 | 25 | 6 |
The best and the worst at the end of November
| Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
| 2009-10 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 37 | 15 | 47 | 22 |
| 1993-4 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 18 | 44 | 26 |
| 1990-1 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 14 | 42 | 37 |
| 2007-8 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 41 | 22 | 39 | 19 |
| 1980-1 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 17 | 38* | 32 |
Now, we thought this last month, but did nothing about it. There is a slight distortion going on here. Our best return come the end of November is our 2009-10 title-winning season. It’s not a shock in itself. But it is helped by having played a mammoth 22 times by this point. So, we’ll try and use that PPG figure to validate things. And 2.14 points per game at this stage of that season remains a strong, hearty return.
Even if it pales a little in contrast to the 2.59(!) recorded by the end of November 1993.
It’s also worth noting that any season in which we’re going into December with just one loss in the league is a fact worth celebrating. Incredible, even.
| Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD |
| 1983-4 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 15* | 1 |
| 2019-20 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 21 | 14 | -9 |
| 2020-1 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 11 | -5 |
First and foremost, there are five years in which we’d come to the end of November with 17 points on the board. We’re too lazy to make such a big table above, so you’ll only get three. And it’s a clear three. Do we excuse the 2020 a little bit? The season started late, so we were playing catch up with 14 league matches played by this point. Mind you, 0.79 points a match ain’t amazing in any book.
The 2019-20 campaign was, by this point, now showing itself to be a contemptuous one. The 0.78 PPG is only a fraction worse than the following year on the calendar front. In November 2019, however, we recorded two goalless draws in the two league matches we played. And it would then be nine games – or six weeks – before we’d register a victory. Spoiler alert: want to guess what season will be propping up this article at the end of December?
And it burns too.
November 2025 vs. Averages
It’s a look at average numbers at the end of November over the years: games played, goals scored, points won. That kind of thing. Boro’s +/- for 2025-6 is seen in brackets and all values are rounded up/down.
Games Played: 17 (-1)
Games Won: 8 (+1)
Goals Scored: 19 (-8)
Goals Against: 11 (-11)
Points Won: 31 (+4)
Main photo: Stevenage FC
