Joe Thompson
Former Rochdale and Tranmere midfielder on Squad Goals

Newport County host in-form Mansfield Town. It’s seventh against sixth and promising to be a proper game of football with only a single point separating the two sides.

The home side Newport go into today's fixture with no wins in their last three games and have been stuttering of late.

James Rowberry's team salvaged a point last Saturday with a last gasp Micky Demetriou equaliser in what was a six-goal thriller against relegation threatened Oldham at home.

Nigel Clough’s men on the other hand are in a rich vein of form only losing once in their last 15 matches, winning 12 of those.

Although they got off to a slow start in League Two, they are making up for lost time.

Will the Stags' key man Rhys Oates get himself on the scoresheet again or will the Exiles' hotshot and league top goal scorer Dom Telford have the final say in this playoff clash.

Image source, Rex Features

Storm Eunice may have swept by but the weather is still causing problems across the country and has led to the postponements of Exeter's home game with Barrow, Salford against Crawley and Harrogate v Leyton Orient.

Northampton are looking to take advantage of Exeter's lack of action, and know that a win over Colchester will see them sitting in an automatic promotion place.

New Walsall manager Michael Flynn has a testing opening fixture as he takes charge for the first against runaway leaders Forest Green.

His old side Newport are a point behind Mansfield in the play-off spots and they face each other today, starting the game both tucked-in behind fifth-placed Sutton who head to Hartlepool.

Swindon are waiting to take advantage of any slip-ups as they play struggling Carlisle, second-placed Tranmere face Port Vale, who will be without manager Darrell Clarke who is on compassionate leave, and Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers travel to Stevenage.

Managerless Bradford parted company with manager Derek Adams on Tuesday and face an Oldham team rejuvenated under John Sheridan, while bottom club Scunthorpe play Rochdale.

Liam Bradford
BBC Radio Manchester

Sunderland v MK Dons at the Stadium of Light.

Feels like it should be being played in the Championship, doesn’t it? As it is, Sunderland’s stuttering promotion push at the top of League One needs to be wrestled back on track and MK Dons will be looking to get back to winning ways to continue their assault on the automatic promotion places.

Sunderland have won just one of their eight league games so far in 2022 and in even worse news, they’ve lost more than they have drawn. It’s turning into a rather spectacular fall from grace.

New boss Alex Neil has got his work cut out for him to try and arrest the slide. He says he “welcomes the pressure” of the job he’s got in front of him.

MK Dons meanwhile are unbeaten in five but haven’t won in their last two fixtures against Ipswich and Fleetwood and they’ll be hoping that Sunderland’s less-than-favourable run of results continues for just one more week. Boss Liam Manning has called on his side to ‘show how far they’ve come’ since the 2-1 reverse at Stadium:MK earlier in the season.

Nothing’s going to be decided this afternoon but this feels like a crucial moment for both sides as they attempt to climb out of English football’s third tier!

Image source, Rex Features

After a 1-1 draw last night between the top two, Rotherham and Wigan, the focus moves to the chasing pack today.

One of the games of the day sees third play fourth as MK Dons head to Sunderland. Alex Neil drew his first game in charge after three consecutive losses for the Black Cats, and his side can leapfrog the visitors with three points this afternoon.

Fifth-placed Wycombe are winless in four and face an in-form Cheltenham, Plymouth will be confident of a win over Gillingham, Oxford head to Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore faces his former club Doncaster.

Bolton had been flying up the table but their progress was checked when a midweek defeat at Burton handed them a first defeat in eight. They are eight points outside the playoffs and face relegation-threatened AFC Wimbledon today.

Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink's Burton are looking to follow-up that win against Ipswich and Cambridge take on Accrington.

Three games have been postponed due to the weather - bottom club Crewe v Portsmouth, Morecambe v Shrewsbury and Fleetwood against Lincoln.

Image source, Rex Features

Two sides who would've been hoping to be pushing higher up the table meet at the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke City host Birmingham City with the play-offs still in the grasp of Michael O'Neill's side thanks to two draws and a win in their past three games.

But they will need to turn more of those draws into wins if they are realistically going to keep up with the current incumbents and today presents one such opportunity.

Birmingham City did upset in-form Luton Town last weekend but just the one win in five has left them well short of contention in a season plagued by events off the field just as much as those on them.

Ben Ibson
BBC Squad Goals

Image source, PA Media

Peterborough are set to play in front of one of the biggest crowds in their history as they travel to Pride Park to take on Derby County in a crunch Championship relegation battle.

Posh have only played in front of four crowds in excess of 30,000 in their 62-year-old Football League history, one of which came at Pride Park on the opening day of the 2009-10 Championship season when Derby pipped the newly-promoted side 2-1.

The Rams are confident they will get 30,000 through the turnstiles, all gunning for a victory that would take them above Peterborough on goal difference and one step closer to safety - despite Darren Ferguson’s men having a game in hand.

Wayne Rooney described Saturday’s clash as ‘the biggest game of the season so far’ for his Derby side that have won four of their last five games in front of their own fans.

The Rams were 20 points from safety in early December and now sit just five points from the drop-zone.

A key figure in the Derby ranks is Tom Lawrence, the forward has been involved in 14 of Derby’s 32 league goals this season (9 goals, 5 assists), which equates to at least nine more than any other player at the club.

If there was a photo that summed up the past few days...

Image source, Rex Features

An extremely wintry afternoon in store at Deepdale with the lines painted blue and the coloured match balls no doubt being grabbed out of the groundsman's cupboard and pumped up in readiness.

Under pressure Reading head to Preston looking for a first win in 13 league games and the chance to put some breathing space between themselves and the bottom three.

Much-maligned boss Veljko Paunovic refused to answer questions following their goalless draw at Peterborough on Wednesday if his offer to resign had been rejected by the club.

He'll be desperately hoping for a change in fortune against Ryan Lowe's Preston.

But they will be no slouches as they bid to extend a six-match unbeaten run and stay in touch with the play-off places.

Image source, Rex Features

West Brom are in desperate need of a turnaround in form if they are to prevent their promotion ambitions from disappearing over the horizon.

The Baggies are without a win in four, failing to score in any of them, have slipped to ninth and if results go against them today, they could plunge into the bottom half.

Their dip in form led to Valerien Ismael's dismissal but things haven't exactly improved under Steve Bruce, who has watched his side lose 2-0 to Sheffield United and draw 0-0 with Blackburn.

They visit Luton today who are just one place and one point behind the Baggies and the Hatters will be confident of securing a win to move closer to the play-offs.

Image source, PA Media

Sheffield United might just be timing a push for the play-offs at the right time.

Paul Heckingbottom has masterminded an unbeaten run of seven games including four wins to move them to within two points of the top six with Swansea coming to Bramall Lane today.

Three cleans sheets in the last three matches as well as shown there is plenty of steel in his side.

Swansea meanwhile continue to be consistently inconsistent down in 16th.

LWLW is how their past four matches have materialised and the past five on the road have also seen them fail to win.

Image source, PA Media

QPR head into their fixture against Hull City feeling the strain for the first real time this season without a win in their past three matches.

Mark Warburton's side were off-colour at Millwall on Tuesday as the Lions swept them aside 2-0 and that saw Rangers miss out on the opportunity to move closer to the automatic promotion places.

But with Blackburn and Bournemouth not in action this weekend, there's another chance to put pressure on those above them.

Hull come to Shepherd's Bush this afternoon still trying to find some identity under new boss Shota Arveladze.

After a win in his first match in charge, it's been three defeats and a draw since for the Georgian, but the Tigers have shown an ability to upset the form book already this season with wins at Bournemouth and at home against Blackburn.

Can they spring another surprise today?

One match down in the Championship and now nine more to come this afternoon.

After Fulham's defeat by Huddersfield, here's how the top six stands...

Image source, BBC Sport

Final Score

Image source, BBC Sport

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Jason Mohammad is joined in the studio this afternoon by Dion Dublin and Stephen Warnock while reporters brave the elements from around the grounds.

Since the interval at Craven Cottage, we've unfortunately lost Blackburn hosting Millwall in the Championship among other fixtures.

Find out all the postponements to date in our story below.

Thank you Matt.

An upset then to begin proceedings this afternoon, is that a sign of what's to come later?

As mentioned, we've got matches across all three divisions on the way, but some unfortunately haven't managed to survive the conditions.

More on that shortly as we build-up to the action at 15:00 GMT.

Right.

It's a perfect time to introduce my colleagues Adam Williams and Steve Mather.

We've plenty to chuck at you.

Huddersfield Town celebrate in the pouring rain of West London for a famous win over the league leaders Fulham.

Danny Ward and Duane Holmes goals settled it in the back of remarkable defensive effort.

They were superb.

Fulham got one back through Bobby Decordova-Reid but couldn't break down the Terriers.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's record breaking goal must wait.

Huddersfield are being broken on by Fulham, but up steps Harry Toffolo to steal the ball. His driving run eats up the clock.

Matty Pearson clears behind. Fulham corner.

Marek Rodak is up! Tosin Adarabioyo gets his head on the set piece.

Saved by Lee Nicholls.

Fabio Carvalho dances into the box and fizzes a shot which is deflected wide for Fulham.

The corner is headed dangerously into the mix but still the home side cannot conjure up the crucial touch.