League One HT/FT Stats: Comebacks, Turnarounds and Club Records
Twenty-one seasons of League One half-time and full-time scores: how rarely games flip, where the division differs from Europe, and which clubs rescue matches from behind.
Compiled by Greta JanssensHalf Time / Full Time specialistReviewed by Marisol Quintana, Editor-in-Chief6 min read
- League One matches reversed after half-time4.7%
- Sheffield United wins from behind at HT14.3%
- of 0-0 half-times that ended drawn37.5%
- reversal rate in 2025/264.9%
Half-time/full-time punters in League One tend to chase the dramatic ticket, the side behind at the break that wins at the end. I wanted to know how often that really happens in England's third tier, and whether particular clubs make a habit of it. The study covers 11,437 League One matches from 2005/06 to 2025/26, each with both scores recorded.
The short answer is that full turnarounds are rare. Only 4.7% of League One matches were reversed after half-time, which places the division 11th-lowest of the 22 European divisions in the study, right in the middle of the pack. The detail sits underneath that figure, in the half-time score and in the clubs involved, and it is the groundwork behind my free HT/FT tips page.
§ 1Season reversal rates stay in a narrow band
This line tracks Home/Away plus Away/Home, the two outcomes where the half-time leader ends up beaten. The peak was 6.3% in 2016/17 and the low was 3.4% in 2009/10, a spread that looks wide on a chart but covers only a few dozen matches in a season. The latest complete season, 2025/26, came in at 4.9%, just above the long-run figure.
View the data: reversals (home/away + away/home) by season
| Reversal (H/A or A/H) | |
|---|---|
| 2005/06 | 4.9% |
| 2006/07 | 4.9% |
| 2007/08 | 5.3% |
| 2008/09 | 4.7% |
| 2009/10 | 3.4% |
| 2010/11 | 5.4% |
| 2011/12 | 4.7% |
| 2012/13 | 3.4% |
| 2013/14 | 4.9% |
| 2014/15 | 5.3% |
| 2015/16 | 4.9% |
| 2016/17 | 6.3% |
| 2017/18 | 4.3% |
| 2018/19 | 4.0% |
| 2019/20 | 4.5% |
| 2020/21 | 3.8% |
| 2021/22 | 5.3% |
| 2022/23 | 4.2% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% |
| 2025/26 | 4.9% |
I read this as a stable division rather than a trending one, so I would not raise or cut my expectations on the strength of one lively season. One caution: 2019/20 rests on only 400 matches because the season was curtailed, so treat that point more loosely than the rest.
§ 2A one-goal lead at the break holds better at home
This heatmap is the most practical chart here, because it starts from the score you can see at half-time. A home side 1-0 up went on to win 71.4% of the time across 2,297 matches, while an away side 0-1 up won 62.4% across 2,004. Home teams trailing 0-1 still won 12% of those games, against 7.7% for away sides trailing 1-0, which shows home advantage still working in the second half.
Level scores behave differently. From 0-0 at the break (3,479 matches) the draw was the most common finish at 37.5%, and 1-1 ended level 34.8% of the time. A 2-1 home lead converted 72.6% of the time, almost exactly the rate for 1-0, so a goal conceded before the interval did not weaken home leaders in this sample.
View the data: full-time result from each half-time score
| Home win | Draw | Away win | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-0 (3,479) | 35.8% | 37.5% | 26.6% |
| 1-0 (2,297) | 71.4% | 20.9% | 7.7% |
| 0-1 (2,004) | 12.0% | 25.6% | 62.4% |
| 1-1 (1,140) | 39.1% | 34.8% | 26.1% |
| 2-0 (781) | 93.1% | 4.9% | 2.0% |
| 0-2 (498) | 4.8% | 10.4% | 84.7% |
| 2-1 (369) | 72.6% | 19.0% | 8.4% |
| 1-2 (281) | 13.2% | 28.1% | 58.7% |
| 3-0 (164) | 98.2% | 1.8% | 0.0% |
| 2-2 (104) | 37.5% | 41.3% | 21.2% |
Two-goal leads are a different market altogether: 2-0 became a home win 93.1% of the time and 3-0 did so 98.2%. If you are pricing a live comeback, a one-goal margin is the only place where the numbers give you room.
§ 3League One leans slightly towards away-led outcomes
Here League One is set against the other 21 divisions pooled. The largest surplus is Away/Away, at 17.4% against 16.4%, followed by Away/Draw at 5.8% against 5.0%. The largest shortfall is Draw/Draw, at 15.3% against 16.3%.
View the data: gap to the other 21 divisions, by result
| Gap | |
|---|---|
| Home/Home | −0.7 pts |
| Draw/Home | −0.1 pts |
| Away/Home | +0.1 pts |
| Home/Draw | 0 pts |
| Draw/Draw | −1 pts |
| Away/Draw | +0.8 pts |
| Home/Away | 0 pts |
| Draw/Away | +0.2 pts |
| Away/Away | +1 pts |
None of these gaps is large, but they all lean the same way. Away sides that lead at the break here tend to keep something, and dead goalless matches are a little rarer than elsewhere. When a general HT/FT model rates the Draw/Draw outcome in this division, I would expect it to run slightly rich.
§ 4Sheffield United and Coventry lead the comeback table
The table ranks clubs with 150+ matches by how often they won after trailing at half-time. Sheffield United top it at 14.3% from 63 deficits, with Coventry next at 12.7% from 79 and Bolton at 12.0% from 92. At the other end, Crawley Town won just 1.5% of 66 matches they trailed at the break, and Rochdale managed only 3.1% from 129.
The lead columns add context. Brentford converted 83.5% of their half-time leads yet won only 3.5% from behind, which describes a side that did its damage early. Coventry are the reverse: just 62.6% of leads converted, but one of the best records from behind.
| Club | Matches | Led at HT (share) | Won from HT lead | Trailed at HT | Won from behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield United | 276 | 91 (33.0%) | 78.0% | 63 | 14.3% |
| Coventry | 310 | 99 (31.9%) | 62.6% | 79 | 12.7% |
| Bolton | 310 | 93 (30.0%) | 84.9% | 92 | 12.0% |
| Oxford | 357 | 119 (33.3%) | 73.9% | 99 | 11.1% |
| Plymouth | 322 | 97 (30.1%) | 79.4% | 100 | 11.0% |
| Stockport | 184 | 46 (25.0%) | 73.9% | 66 | 10.6% |
| Brentford | 322 | 97 (30.1%) | 83.5% | 85 | 3.5% |
| Rochdale | 402 | 98 (24.4%) | 75.5% | 129 | 3.1% |
| Cambridge | 184 | 41 (22.3%) | 73.2% | 65 | 3.1% |
| Crawley Town | 184 | 42 (22.8%) | 78.6% | 66 | 1.5% |
Remember that 63 deficits is a small base, so a handful of results either way would reshuffle the top of this table. I treat these figures as a description of each club's spell in the division, not as a property that follows a club through new managers and squads.
Almanac verdict
- Price comebacks from the score
- Start any live reversal bet from the half-time score: a home side trailing 0-1 won 12% of the time here, while an away side behind at 1-0 won only 7.7%.
- Respect the goalless draw
- From 0-0 at the break the draw finished most often at 37.5%, so do not write off the stalemate just because the first half was flat.
- Check the club's deficit count
- Before backing a comeback specialist, look at the sample: Sheffield United's 14.3% comes from 63 deficits, and figures built on so few matches can move a long way quickly.
Questions bettors ask
How often do League One matches turn around after half-time?
Across 11,437 matches from 2005/06 to 2025/26, 4.7% finished with the half-time leader beaten. That was 11th-lowest of the 22 European divisions studied.
Which League One club comes from behind to win most often?
Sheffield United, who won 14.3% of the 63 matches they trailed at half-time. Coventry were next at 12.7% from 79 deficits.
What usually happens when a League One game is 0-0 at half-time?
Out of 3,479 such matches, 37.5% ended drawn, 35.8% became home wins and 26.6% away wins. These are past shares and the record holds no HT/FT prices, so compare any fair odds with the price you are offered.
I'm Greta Janssens, based in Brussels, and I write the half-time/full-time tips at fixed-match.tips — focused on how teams start, how they finish, and what happens in between.
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