New faces, chasers and strugglers – what to look out for in the EFL

While the cat is away the mice will play so, while some EFL clubs look to the magic of the FA Cup this weekend, their rivals will hope to steal a march by putting points on the board.

Middlesbrough and Coventry fans can spend the weekend pacing up and down waiting for their Championship showdown under the Monday night lights, but for now let us concentrate on what Saturday brings us.

Ed Still takes charge of Watford for the first time with the top six in view and there is a world where Millwall can push themselves into the automatic promotion conversation.

Leagues One and Two present us with two first v third match-ups along with play-off pushes and relegation scraps.

Watford appointing a new head coach is not really big news. Watford having a third head coach in the same season is not really big news either. But Watford appointing Ed Still is definitely news.

Having watched his brother Will succeed on the continent but then fail with Southampton in the Championship this season, it has not deterred his older sibling from stepping into the chaotic world of Vicarage Road.

The 35-year-old’s first engagement is at fellow play-off hopefuls Preston (15:00 GMT) and it is the competitive nature of the Championship which means, despite being six games without a win, victory at Deepdale could push the Hornets into the play-off places.

“It’s tough, it isn’t the same as European football – it’s super, super, super-competitive, I think it’s the most competitive league across Europe,” Still told the BBC’s 72+ EFL podcast.

“I am 100% a head coach, I am definitely not a manager – I am just a cog in Watford FC.”

Now, there may well be a fair few Millwall fans who fancied they could be in the Championship play-off shake-up, but how many thought automatic promotion might be in the offing?

There is a long way to go but a win at doomed Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (15:00 GMT) would leave them only three points behind second-placed Coventry, who have that engagement at home to the leaders Middlesbrough on Monday.

Millwall have conceded only one goal in their past three outings, with last Saturday’s win at promotion rivals Wrexham setting down some sort of marker.

They still have to go to Hull City, Ipswich and Middlesbrough, but first there is a trip to Hillsborough which has boss Alex Neil a little wary.

Cardiff City and Lincoln City have been setting such a furious pace at the top of League One that at times it has looked a matter of when, not if, they secure promotion.

Bolton Wanderers are doing their best to prevent that happening with a run of four successive wins bursting them from the pack and into contention as they prepare for a trip to second-placed Lincoln on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

“It’s one of the hardest places to go in the division – but they’ll know they’ve got a good team coming to them. I still think there’ll be twists and turns,” Bolton head coach Steven Schumacher said.

Both sides have taken 16 points from their past six matches to top the division’s form guide, but the Imps hold a six-point advantage over the Trotters.

By his own admission, Luke Williams is not a man to sit around doing nothing.

He spent part of his eight months between management jobs working at Bristol Airport doing “something meaningful with my time” as a customer care assistant.

Peterborough supporters will agree he has not let the grass grow under his feet since arriving at London Road in October and is “doing something meaningful” with a previously struggling side.

Williams has taken Posh from the bottom of League One up to eighth, within five points of the play-off places, winning five of their past nine league games (although losing four).

The side occupying the final play-off spot are Bradford City and that is where Williams takes his side on Saturday (15:00 GMT)

There is a lot to be said for promotion from the National League.

League Two leaders Bromley host another recent addition to the EFL in third-placed Notts County on Saturday (15:00 GMT), but further down the division is not such a happy story.

Barrow’s return to the league in 2020 had a bit of romanticism and justice about it for those of a certain age.

In the days before automatic promotion, the bottom four teams of what was then Division Four had to apply for re-election and in 1972, despite finishing above two other clubs, the Bluebirds were kicked out to be replaced by Hereford.

Forty-eight years later Barrow were back. Leading the National League table when Covid shut down the season, they were on the right end of a vote this time to curtail the campaign and were declared champions.

There have been a couple of close squeaks as twice they just avoided a return to the non-league ranks, but also a near miss with the play-offs when they fell out of the top seven on the final day of the 2023-24 season.

This year is looking bleak with boss Paul Gallagher sacked on Wednesday after losing all five games of his six-week tenure and being replaced by Dino Maamria – their sixth permanent boss in fewer than four years.

It leaves Barrow three points clear of trouble with play-off hopefuls Colchester United dropping by on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

After that comes a meeting with bottom side Harrogate and the final day has a home game against a Newport side that are second from bottom – Barrow will not want their struggles getting that far.

It has been 22 years since Cumbria was last without an EFL club, Maamria will need to get busy quickly if that is not to become a possibility again.