FROM all the famous football cliches one stands head and shoulders above the others.

Whether it's post-match manager interviews or post-pint pub discussion, the phrase 'the table doesn't lie' can put an end to speculation by using bald numbers to illustrate what is - and not what could or should have been.

Below is a table showing League One (and previously Division 2) for the last decade.

If Huddersfield Town beat Brentford on Saturday they will have amassed 89 points and have a goal difference of at least +30.

This season will be the first time since the 2000-01 season that haul has not been good enough to see the third tier team which accrued it promoted automatically.

Indeed in the same period, Town's current points tally of 86 would have been good enough eight out of ten times to see the club automatically promoted - including once as champions.

That would have come in 2005-06 when Southend won the division with 82 points. Town actually finished fourth that season on 73 points but lost in the play-off semi finals to ultimate winners Barnsley.

Take a look at the figures below and tell us what patterns you can spot in them by commenting at the foot of this story.

We used www.statto.com to generate the figures in the table below.