How Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough FC could benefit from home advantage in race to Premier League - but watch out for Nottingham Forest

Especially when it comes to Yorkshire’s three clubs in the mix in Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.

Before last Saturday’s home reverse to second-placed Bournemouth, Town had not lost at the John Smith’s Stadium since November 27.

You have to go back even further for the Blades’ last defeat at Bramall Lane, a 1-0 loss to Blackpool on October 30, while Boro have won every home Championship match – eight in all – since going down 2-1 to Preston in Chris Wilder’s second match in charge on November 23.

Given that all these sides are in pretty good order on home soil – and all have more matches in front of their own supporters remaining in the regular season than on the road, it might just be significant.

In the 2020-21 campaign, almost exclusively played out without fans in front of depressingly empty and soulless arenas, seven Championship clubs picked up as many points – in a number of cases more – on the road as they did at home.

With spectators now happily back inside stadiums, currently only one second-tier side, Hull City, have picked up more points on their travels than at home.

What is also clear to say is that the international break has probably arrived at the right juncture for Town, United and Boro as they are afforded invaluable time to mentally refresh – and in the Blades’ case, get players back on deck – ahead of the final push.

Taking away Fulham and Bournemouth, who look surely destined to take the automatic promotion places, 10 teams can be bracketed as currently being in the play-off picture from third-placed Luton Town down to West Brom in 12th.

They are separated by nine points; a maximum-point haul in a three-game Championship week.

Each side has to play at least two teams in the mix for promotion before May 7, adding to the degree of difficulty.

In one case, two teams in the Blades and QPR have still to play each other this season. If they end up colliding in the play-offs, they could well play four times in the space of a month and a half. Stranger things have happened.

When looking at the run-ins for the three White Rose sides, United’s perhaps looks to be the best on paper, at least. If that counts for anything.

Five of their eight remaining matches are at the Lane where they are unbeaten in nine games under Paul Heckingbottom’s watch, winning seven. Only West Brom have conceded fewer home goals (12) than United’s 13.

Three successive appointments at S2 arrive in a 10-day block in the first half of April against QPR, Bournemouth and relegation-haunted Reading.

Champions-elect Fulham also head to South Yorkshire on the final day, but might just have their party frocks on by then.

In their seven remaining fixtures, Town, one place and two points above fifth-placed United but having played a game more, must face four sides who are currently in the mix.

Easter, a traditional time of seismic importance to the fates of football seasons, has the makings of being a big one for Town and Boro, who are the side just outside of the top six.

Town welcome QPR on Good Friday – when Boro make the long trip to Bournemouth. They then bump into each other at the Riverside on Easter Monday.

The Terriers’ record on Teesside is poor, losing eight times on their past nine winless visits.

That said, Middlesbrough was the venue of one of Town’s finest hours with promotion to the top-flight clinched there in the spring of 1970, with Steve Smith scoring in a 1-1 draw.

A key victory there next month would carry significance, if not quite in that bracket.

The game at Boro is the final match of a key triple header against rivals with Carlos Corberan’s side hosting Luton ahead of their Easter programme. A good haul of points would help firmly nail down a top-six spot.

Boro’s nine remaining games feature five at home. Alongside Town and Bournemouth, Wilder’s side also face Fulham.

Boro, Town and the Blades will be afforded home comforts in two of their final three matches. Four rivals in Blackburn, QPR, Nottingham Forest and Coventry have more away matches remaining than home ones and will be on the road twice in their last three outings.

Alongside games against Bournemouth and Coventry, Blackburn must also negotiate derbies with Blackpool and Preston, while Luton’s run-in features games against Millwall, Town, Forest and Fulham.

There is intrigue wherever you look. Perhaps the team who most clubs are wary of will be Steve Cooper’s Forest, who have at least two games in hand on most of their rivals, in some cases three.

Out of their 10 games left, six are away from the City Ground, where they are unbeaten at league level since Christmas and have lost once in the league since October. The last Championship side to beat them by the Trent? Huddersfield.

Forest must hit the motorway in four of their last five games, which include matches at Fulham and Bournemouth.

Fasten your seatbelts.

That counts for all those sides in play-off contention. Not just Forest.