We all know that 74/75 points will secure a play off place but how many points should be picked up away from home?

Below are the away points accumulated by the teams in the play off places for the last 10 seasons:
2008/09: Sheffield United (38), Reading (36), Burnley (29), Preston North End (23)
2007/08: Hull (29), Bristol City (28), Crystal Palace (35), Watford (39)
2006/07: Derby (39), WBA (30), Wolves (35), Southampton (30)
2005/06: Watford (41), Preston (37), Leeds (32), Crystal Palace (30)
2004/05: Ipswich (31), Derby (39), Preston (26), West Ham (32)
2003/04: Sunderland (32), West Ham (31), Ipswich (34), Crystal Palace (35)
2002/03: Sheffield United (34), Reading (37), Wolves (39), Nottingham Forest (25)
2001/02: Wolves (43), Millwall (29), Birmingham (30), Norwich (24)
2000/01: Bolton (47), Preston (36), Birmingham (33), WBA (30)
1999/00: Ipswich (36), Barnsley (33), Birmingham (27), Bolton (29)

Preston last season achieved a play off spot with just 23 points away from home, which as you can see is the lowest points accumulated on the road and still managing to achieve a play off position. The average if you add all the above up divide it by the 10 seasons and then divide it by 4 is 33. Although the average is 33 almost half of these teams listed finished in the top 6 without achieving that many points. If like Preston you have a fantastic home record then you away record doesn't need to be as good but 23 points should be the bare minimum that we should aim to achieve. Any total in the high 20s or early 30s not only will take pressure off your home record but should mean the difference between 7th and 6th.

Important to note though is that Blackpool achieved 33 points away from home last season but their poor home record (23 points) meant that they spent most of last season nearer the bottom than the top. Southampton who were relegated managed to achieve not only 5 points more than us away from home but their away record matched that of Preston's. The last time QPR achieved better than Preston's away record of last year was in the 2004/05 season. Points away from home are crucial for making the top 6 as long as it's backed up by a a good home record.