The play-offs record which shows why Nottingham Forest should target third-placed finish

Nottingham Forest could secure their highest Championship finish for more than a decade when they take on Hull City this weekend.

The Reds are already guaranteed a place in the play-offs, and they will finish either third or fourth in the table regardless of what happens in the final round of league fixtures. But should they finish third, it would match their position from the 2009/10 campaign.

And if they record a victory over the Tigers, it would take Steve Cooper’s side up to 82 points - the club’s highest points total in the second tier since 1998, when they were promoted as champions with 94. Ending the regular season well is very much the manager’s aim.

But how much does it matter when it comes to the play-offs? We’ve had a look at who went up via that method in the last 15 years, and where they finished in the table…

- Brentford, finished 3rd

- Fulham, finished 4th

- Aston Villa, finished 5th

- Fulham, finished 3rd

- Huddersfield Town, finished 5th

- Hull City, finished 4th

- Norwich City, finished 3rd

- QPR, finished 4th

- Crystal Palace, finished 5th

- West Ham, finished 3rd

- Swansea City, finished 3rd

- Blackpool, finished 6th

- Burnley, finished 5th

- Hull City, finished 3rd

- Derby County, finished 3rd

Third place has yielded the most play-offs winners, with seven; fifth place has also been pretty successful, with four. One team who finished sixth has gone up, while three who came fourth triumphed.

When it comes to form going into the play-offs, it’s a pretty mixed bag looking at those who triumphed. The outcomes of the last five league games for the play-offs winners in the past 15 years are listed below.

Brentford (3rd) - DWWWW

Fulham (4th) - WWDWD

Aston Villa (5th) - WWWDL

Fulham (3rd) -