EFL five things: March wins could bring forth May flowers

ByAlex Hoad

BBC Sport England

It feels like March has only just arrived but, by Saturday tea-time, the Championship will be done and dusted until April.

March wins bring forth May flowers, as the old saying (almost) goes.

The next time players step out of the tunnel after Saturday it will be British Summer Time, but who will spring forward and who will fall back as this marathon season enters the final straight?

There are fascinating contests wherever you look in the second tier, while the promotion and relegation scraps in League One and League Two are shaping up to be among the best we've ever seen.

Here are five things to look out for across the EFL weekend.

Saturday lunchtime could prove to be a pivotal couple of hours in the race to line-up in the Premier League for 2026-27.

Any one of three teams could go into the international break occupying the second automatic promotion place, with Coventry sitting pretty once again with a seven-point advantage at the summit.

Two of those meet at Portman Road as third-placed Ipswich, unbeaten in six, taking 14 points from those games, entertain Millwall (12:30 GMT), below them on goal difference alone.

The Lions had a four-game winning streak ended by a controversial defeat at home to Blackburn last Saturday.

Alex Neil's men were a goal to the good when, just before the hour, Zak Sturge was shown a red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Rovers went on to pinch three precious points in their own battle against relegation with two goals in the final 10 minutes, while Sturge's red card was overturned by the FA on Wednesday and he will be free to face the Tractor Boys as Millwall go in search of a fifth-straight away win.

If they get it Middlesbrough will need to pick up at least a point at Ewood Park at the same time to hold on to second spot, largely due to a run of four home games without a win - games they have largely dominated - culminating in a last-gasp leveller for Bristol City in a 1-1 draw at the Riverside last time out.

It is not just the promotion and play-off races in the Championship hotting up, the scramble at the bottom is already a humdinger with five teams separated by just four points with two places to be filled.

Third-bottom Oxford have the toughest ask as they head to Southampton (15:00 GMT), unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions after climbing into the top six for the first time since the opening day of the season, courtesy of Wednesday's 1-0 home win over Norwich.

The U's did, however, run-out 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day and were within a whisker of making it four straight wins, only for a stoppage-time penalty to ensure Charlton a point at the Kassam on Saturday.

Leicester lie a point below Oxford before their trip to Watford (15:00 GMT), who remain firmly in the play-off picture.

The green shoots of recovery Foxes fans witnessed in the draw at Ipswich and home win over Bristol City were, however, washed out by QPR's comeback from a goal down to win 3-1 at the King Power Stadium last time out.

While it was a fifth defeat in six at home, Leicester are also nine without a win on the road dating back to 6 December, though the past two were draws at high-flying Middlesbrough and Ipswich.

After a thumping win over Hull at The Hawthorns lifted them out of the bottom three, West Brom will seek to end their own 15-game winless run away from home, dating back to 1 October, when they visit Bristol City (15:00 GMT), who have taken just a point from their past four at Ashton Gate.

Portsmouth lie above Albion on goal difference going into their trip to QPR (15:00 GMT), seeking a first win in six, with just a point from their past five games.

League One has been a gift this season, with a title race, play-off race and relegation contest which look set to go down to the wire.

There's one sub-plot above all others on Saturday, however, as Gary Caldwell prepares to face former employers Exeter City (15:00 GMT) in a crunch encounter in the basement of the third tier.

After a protracted courtship, on 16 February Caldwell opted to leave St James Park after 180 games in charge and return to Wigan, where he previously spent six seasons as a player, lifting the FA Cup, and 18 months in the dugout from April 2015.

When he took over the Latics they were winless in eight and in the relegation zone, while City were well clear of trouble in 13th.

On Saturday they meet level on points, with the Grecians in 19th, above their hosts on goal difference, with Wigan a point clear of Blackpool in the final relegation spot.

Free-falling City, now under interim boss Matt Taylor, are winless in 12, with one point from their past six games, while Caldwell has overseen 11 points from his seven games in charge.

If Blackpool can spring a surprise at wobbling Cardiff at lunchtime, Caldwell could send his old side into the relegation zone just over a month after leaving.

The play-off race in League One is almost as exciting and there are two particularly big games in store on Saturday.

Just three points separate fifth-placed Stockport from Plymouth in 10th but the picture could come into clearer focus, or be murkier than ever, by Saturday night.

Stevenage, in eighth, and with a game in hand over their rivals, host Reading (15:00 GMT), a point and two places above them, in the final play-off spot.

After allowing a 2-0 lead to slip to draw against leaders Lincoln on Tuesday, Huddersfield, in seventh, make the long trip to Home Park to face Argyle, who have climbed the table off the back of a run of 19 points from eight games.

In a 12:30 GMT kick-off, Stockport will seek to hold on to fifth spot as they head to Luton, sat 11th but only five points behind their fellow Hatters, in a preview of next month's Vertu Trophy final.

Just two points separate the bottom four teams in the EFL, and you can expect plenty of twists and turns among them on Saturday.

Barrow are bottom of the pile and on their fifth boss of the season with player-head-coach Sam Foley overseeing a 3-1 defeat at Salford on Tuesday which made it seven games without a win for the Bluebirds before their trip to play-off chasing Grimsby Town (15:00 GMT).

Harrogate lie second-bottom, a point ahead, despite ending a four-match winless run with a thumping 3-0 win at Tranmere on Tuesday, which has Rovers just six points clear of the drop zone after taking one point from their past seven games and facing a tricky task against Swindon (15:00 GMT), hunting automatic promotion.

Harrogate head to Oldham Athletic who have won six of their past seven games and are unbeaten in nine as they make a late run for the play-offs following their promotion last season.

Newport County are a point above the drop zone after following up their fine win at Barnet last Saturday with a brilliant display against leaders Bromley on Tuesday, only to slip to a 1-0 home defeat in the dying seconds. They will seek to bounce-back at resurgent Walsall (15:00 GMT).

Crawley are above the Exiles on goal difference but, despite being winless in nine, they have drawn five of their past six following a last-gasp leveller against Barnet in midweek and now face a long trip to Fleetwood Town (15:00 GMT).

BBC Sport will have live text coverage of all the weekend's EFL action starting with Preston v Stoke City from the Championship on Friday.