Six-pointer
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Six pointer is a sporting cliché, particularly used in association football, used to describe a game between two teams with similar league positions, in leagues that employ a three points for a win system. In a two-points-for-a-win league, the corresponding term is four pointer.
The term is normally reserved for the latter part of the season, when the league standings approach the ranking they will have at the end of the season. Therefore the result of the game is likely to have a significant bearing on which of the two teams will eventually finish in the higher position. The term may be applied to a match either between two teams both chasing the championship or promotion, or else between two teams both near the bottom of the table — a "relegation six pointer". It is not applied to a match between one team at each end of the table: although such a match is important to both teams, they are not direct rivals competing for the same end-of-season prize. Nor is it applied to a match where both teams are in the middle of the table, because it is of little importance which team finishes ahead of the other.[1][2] [3][4]
For example, suppose the standings before a match between Team A and Team B are as follows:
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| Team A | 40 |
| Team B | 38 |
If Team A wins the match, they will be five points ahead:
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| Team A | 43 |
| Team B | 38 |
If Team A loses the match, they will be one point behind:
| Team | Points |
|---|---|
| Team B | 41 |
| Team A | 40 |
Thus, for Team A, the difference between winning and losing represents a six-point differential with respect to their rivals, Team B (five ahead versus one behind); even though it only represents a three-point differential with respect to all other teams in the league (43 points versus 40 points). A similar analysis to this match applies for Team B.
In Australia the term six pointer can also be used in football (soccer) to describe a poor shot at goal where the ball goes between the posts but very high over the bar. It refers to Australian rules football, where a goal (worth 6 points) is scored at any height between goalposts which have no crossbar.
