Image source, Rex Features

After three years of struggle and a big turnover of playing staff in the summer, Colchester fans were hoping this would at least be a season without those relegation fears rearing their head again.

Well, just four points above the drop zone with a quarter of the season gone has them once again studying the wrong end of the table.

Danny Cowley, like his six predecessors in the last three years (yes, really) has found it hard to turn the ship around and they're currently without a win in their last five EFL games but have won three out of five home meetings with Salford.

As for Karl Robinson's side well, when only Tranmere (the EFL's lowest scorers) have scored fewer goals in League Two it's not hard to see where their problem lies.

Salford are one of two sides yet to win away in the division (Colchester being the other) and only twice have they managed to score more than one goal in a game, although they did win on both those occasions.

These are two sides who promise a lot more than they've delivered so far.

Image source, Rex Features

A run of just one defeat in six League Two matches which included their first win of the season over Barrow had all those connected with Morecambe feeling a little more optimistic.

But then back-to-back defeats, in which they've conceded six goals, have ensured the furrowed brows have returned on the Lancashire coast.

You have to go back to April Fools' Day for the Shrimps' last league victory at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium and they've subsequently lost six out of nine at home and failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those games.

So, Chesterfield will fancy the task ahead of them today - even more so considering they're unbeaten in seven matches, albeit five of those have ended in draws which has held them back from climbing the table further.

When you've got James Berry, Will Grigg, Paddy Madden and Dilan Markanday in your squad you've always got a goal in your side and the Spireites' manager Paul Cook has seen his side score 23 league goals - only Walsall have more in League Two.

Chesterfield also have a chance to break into the top seven with a victory.

Image source, BBC Sport

While a win for Chesterfield at Morecambe would move them into the play-off places, the bottom half of League Two is where the main attention is in the division's early games.

A point for the Shrimps against Chesterfield would take them off the foot of the table but victory wouldn't be enough to escape the bottom two.

Victory for Salford at Colchester would get them into the top half of the table while the U's can get themselves up to the relative dizzy heights of 16th with a victory.

Image source, Rex Features

This is the first meeting between Mansfield and Birmingham since April 1991 – a weekend when Chesney Hawkes topped the charts with ‘The One and Only’ and Tottenham's Paul Gascoigne scored an iconic FA Cup semi-final free-kick against Arsenal.

Since then the clubs have been on vastly differing journeys, Blues to the Premier League and Europe, the Stags to non-league football.

After a relegation and a promotion last May, today they meet in the middle as it's fourth against first in the third tier. Birmingham have looked every inch potential title-winners thus far, winning nine of their past 10 games, and four of five on the road, to sit four points clear of Wrexham, with a game in hand.

However despite being newly-promoted, the Stags’ 2-1 win at Wigan on Tuesday was their sixth victory in seven to leave them just a point behind second-place, also having played a game fewer than Wrexham, who pipped them to promotion last term, leaving Town to come up via the play-offs.

After Jay Stansfield (pictured) helped them to a 2-0 win over Bolton on Tuesday, another victory for City would give them a huge cushion over the chasing pack, but a home win would see things tighten right up.

What a way to start the day this is...

Image source, Getty Images

Bristol Rovers may be down in 15th place in the League One standings but, as part of a desperately tight mid-table, they are only three points off their hosts Reading sitting in seventh.

Despite fan sentiment towards manager Matt Taylor somewhat mixed (to put it mildly), the Gas have been enjoying an upward turn of results, with three of their five league wins coming in their last four matches. But Taylor has some words for the wise about getting too excited.

"This group will be continuously up and down and I have to acknowledge that and make the people around the club understand that, but they're really trying," Taylor told BBC Radio Bristol.

Reading are in better form, having won four out of their past five league games, and this is a fixture they revel in.

The Royals are unbeaten against Rovers in their past six league meetings, winning four and with clean sheets to boot.

So while Bristol Rovers fans may be bracing themselves for a low as per Taylor's advice, will it come (as perhaps some may expect it to given the stats) in today's early afternoon kick-off or can they embrace a high once more?

Image source, BBC Sport

There might only be two games at 12:30 BST but quite a lot could happen at the top of League One.

A win for Birmingham at Mansfield would move them seven points clear but if the Stags come out on top they can get themselves into the automatic promotion spots.

While their off-field issues rumble on, Reading have quietly come into the frame where a draw or a win at home to Bristol Rovers will push them into the top six.

They might not be on this graphic but were the Gas to win in Berkshire they would spring from 16th to at least ninth place.

Here is what we've got to get us going this Saturday lunchtime.

League One

Mansfield Town v Birmingham City

Reading v Bristol Rovers

League Two

Colchester United v Salford City

Morecambe v Chesterfield

Image source, Rex Features

Good afternoon and welcome to your Saturday afternoon football fix.

The eyes of the world (well, much of the Midlands and parts of the USA, at least) will be on north Nottinghamshire this lunchtime as League One leaders Birmingham roll into Mansfield looking to enhance their title credentials in a tasty-looking match-up.

We'll follow their closest challengers Wrexham as they head to London to face Charlton a little later while there are some bumper basement battles on the slate in both League One and League Two to look forward to too.

As always there are a host of games with huge intrigue up and down the land involving the 72 EFL clubs this afternoon so, first things first...

Click here to read the weekend EFL preview.

Finished? Good. There are 48 clubs we are particular focused on here this afternoon, let's dive in to the action, there's no time to waste...