EFL League One Matchday 29 Preview
Tuesday evening sees a bumper crop of EFL League One action, with plenty of matches affecting both ends of the table in a full fixture list.
For more information on Wrexham’s clash against Stevenage, you can read Alex Wallace’s preview here.
In this article, we will look at the remainder of the ties, with 11 other games taking place.
The Top
Two of the top six face off with one another, with the eye-catching encounter of the night taking place at The John Smith’s Stadium.
The only 8pm kickoff sees league leaders Birmingham City looking to keep up their title bid as they visit a Huddersfield side with ambitions of automatic promotion of their own.
Chris Davies’ Blues have been unbeaten in all competitions since a 3-2 defeat by Shrewsbury in November, and a battling draw with championship rivals Wrexham sees them go into this tranche of fixtures two points ahead of second-place.
As their first season in the third-tier since 1995 draws nearer to its end, Birmingham have so far navigated many of the challenges posed by League One, unbeaten in 15 games in all competitions and on-course to match their last spell in the division 30 years ago.
In addition, they have recently added Rangers midfielder Kieran Dowell on loan until the end of the season.
Huddersfield pose a solid defence, but head into this wounded after their 16-match unbeaten run was snapped by Bolton on Saturday.
A worrying run of form for the Terriers has seen them pick up just one win from their last five at home, Michael Duff needing to galvanise his team if they are to pull back within distance of the top three.
Should Birmingham slip up, Wycombe Wanderers are in a prime position to overhaul them at the summit if they can get a result against playoff contenders Barnsley.
With Matt Bloomfield having departed for Luton a fortnight ago, caretaker Sam Grace has picked up four points from his two games in charge, with reports suggesting Danish manager Rasmus Bertelsen has turned down the Chairboys’ advances.
A sloppy performance against Northampton on Saturday saw them have to settle for a 0-0 draw, and the Adams Park will be getting nervous as Wrexham build up steam behind them.
Barnsley are proven at this level, with two promotions in the past 9 years, but are aiming to put two consecutive failures in the playoff lottery behind them.
Despite a valuable four-game winning run over Christmas, defeats to Bristol Rovers and Stevenage have seen Darrell Clarke under increasing pressure throughout what has been an at-times inconsistent season for The Tykes.
With an injury table expanding to include the likes of Barry Cotter, Mael de Gevigney and new signing Neil Farrugia, Barnsley now find themselves entering a crucial period of the year, with two Yorkshire derbies against Huddersfield and Rotherham upcoming next month.
The Bottom
Just one point separates the bottom four teams in the division, but six points separate 20th from 21st as time starts to run out for the struggling sides.
Bottom side Shrewsbury Town have improved under the stewardship of Gareth Ainsworth, but lost out to Charlton on Saturday after a 96th-minute winner for The Addicks at The Valley.
The Shropshire outfit have a very tough task away to Stockport County, who sit squarely in the middle of the playoffs following two successive victories after a tough Christmas schedule.
Dave Challinor is looking for a second successive promotion with his team, well-backed by its financiers and hoping to put their troubles of the previous decade behind them. A great example of this was seen when Micah Hamilton arrived in Manchester, on-loan from Middlesbrough and previously a goalscorer for Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
Rob Elliot’s Crawley Town have struggled to acclimatise to being back in League One, and they visit Mansfield Town at Field Mill with new signing Kamari Doyle from Brighton in tow.
During their promotion-sealing hot streak at the end of the previous season, Crawley secured a 4-1 victory against the Nottingham-based side, and will be hoping to inflict similar damage against the potent attacking threats of Will Evans and Lee Gregory, with 20 combined goals between them.
Cambridge United’s miraculous revival at the tail end of 2023/24 is in danger of being undone, with one stat looming over them: no side has earned fewer points in away games in the division this season, with Rotherham United the next side up for The U’s.
A 2-0 reverse of Stevenage in October has been Cambridge’s only success on the road, whereas Rotherham’s momentum was blunted somewhat following a shock 4-2 loss to Burton.
Speaking of Burton Albion, their recent excellent run of form – two wins on the bounce – have coincided with the arrival of Icelandic international Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
Gary Bowyer’s men have to get past a stubborn Reading team who are searching for just a second win of 2025 to get their faltering playoff bid rekindled.
Noel Hunt is just a point outside the sainted top six with his team, but consecutive losses to Stockport and Leyton Orient may be showing signs of creakiness.
The Rest
The battle for playoff football doubtless has many twists and turns, but is typically unpredictable as things stand: four points separate 6th and 11th, and many teams are still in with a shout of making the final dance.
Bolton Wanderers are still reeling from Ian Evatt’s departure last week, but victory over high-flying Huddersfield has given a big boost to their ambitions ahead of the visit of Northampton Town, currently occupying the last non-relegation spot.
The trifecta of Academy coaches in position – Julian Darby, Andrew Tutte, and Andy Taylor – were rewarded with an Aaron Collins winner in Yorkshire on Saturday, but attention now turns to a big February with battles against relegation candidates and fellow playoff contenders lying ahead, starting away to Reading next Saturday.
Northampton cannot afford to let their form become complacent, with the bottom four in contrasting fortunes and memories of the COVID-affected 20/21 season which ended in relegation fresh in the memory.
Leyton Orient are the surprise package thus far, and head into an affair with sinking Exeter City without a league defeat since November.
Richie Wellens’ side may be preoccupied as they prepare to face Manchester City in the FA Cup Fourth Round on the 8 February, but the more immediate business concerns their attempts to finally enter the second-tier.
Exeter actually claimed all three points at Brisbane Road back in October, but have dropped off significantly of late with Gary Caldwell’s team currently on a six-game winless run, not to mention only one fit central defender currently being available for The Grecians.
It has been a pretty happy Valley since Nathan Jones took over at Charlton Athletic, with critical wins against Wycombe and Bolton nestled in between a five-goal hammering of Northampton before Christmas.
Two points behind Barnsley in sixth, they welcome Bristol Rovers and their evergreen Spanish Head Coach Inigo Calderon, who fittingly defeated Barnsley earlier this month.
A word of warning for any Charlton fans reading this: Bristol Rovers have won the previous five games against the Londoners, including all three since they were promoted back to the third-tier in 2023.
Michael Skubala must not have believed his luck on Saturday: after a barren spell of 468 minutes with a solitary league goal, Lincoln City nailed five past Peterborough at the LNER Stadium to give some outside hope of joining the playoff battle.
The Steve Bruce effect at Blackpool has stalled somewhat in the last few games, but a tilt at playoff football is still on despite four consecutive draws and a defeat from their previous five.
That leaves us with two teams at the wrong end of the table as far as their ambitions lie: Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United.
Shaun Maloney’s side have veered from performance to performance, with Saturday’s victory over Bristol Rovers coming days after a shock defeat to Burton.
Darren Ferguson, meanwhile, launched a scathing attack of his side following their capitulation at Lincoln, labelling them “too soft”. London Road has seen 26 goals fly in for visitors so far, and just one clean sheet to boot.
Where to View
All these games can be viewed on the Sky Sports+ platform via the Sky Sports app or Sky Go, with BBC local radio providing audio commentary on select games via the BBC Sounds app and the BBC Sport Website.