Preston appear to have put the debate about who scored the opening goal at Deepdale to bed.

Boro have the advantage as the second half gets underway but they have also made the first change, Jonny Howson has been replaced by Alex Mowatt by boss Michael Carrick.

It is all so delicately poised across the Championship this afternoon.

The six games which kicked off at 15:00 GMT were all 1-0 at the end of the first half. They are now getting back under way.

Gab Sutton
Squad Goals

Paul Simpson is doing an outstanding job at Carlisle with an incredibly long injury list, which has sometimes been into double figures,

To be in this position in the top seven is remarkable work.

Image source, Rex Features

• Bottom side Gillingham 1-0 down at home to Colchester, who had started the day second bottom.
• The two other teams in the bottom four are also facing off and Hartlepool lead Rochdale 1-0 at the break, leaving Dale in 23rd place.
• Salford 1-0 up against Barrow but down to 10 men after Callum Hendry's red card.
• Carlisle lead Bradford 1-0 thanks to a goal from veteran defender Paul Huntington and the Bantams are on course for a fourth successive loss.
• It's 1-1 between Swindon and Walsall and Harrogate and Grimsby and Tranmere are 1-0 up against Doncaster.

Image source, Rex Features

• Ipswich going top of the table as it stands as they lead Oxford 2-0 through goals from Freddie Ladapo and Wes Burns, while Plymouth are being held at Cheltenham.
• Burton are thumping Lincoln City 3-0.
• Sheffield Wednesday fell behind at Fleetwood but levelled through George Byers' goal, Wycombe are drawing 1-1 at home with Bristol Rovers after going a goal down early on.
• In-form Barnsley 1-0 up at Accrington and on course for a sixth straight league win.

Image source, Getty Images

• Sheffield United, who can go equal on points with Championship leaders Burnley with victory, lead Coventry 1-0.
• Sonny Carey's goal has Blackpool up at Hull, with all six 15:00 GMT kick-offs 1-0 at the break.
• A Joran Thompson own goal just before the break sees Rotherham lead Stoke.
• An early goal from West Brom sees them lead Bristol City, while Marcus Forss has Middlesbrough 1-0 up against Kolo Toure's Wigan.

Blackpool have looked determined to double their advantage befor the break.

First Ian Poveda tested Matt Ingram with a shot, with Gary Madine then calling the Hull goalkeeper into action again with a effort of his own after the ball broke kindly for him.

Tommy Conway has drawn a superb save from Baggies keeper Alex Palmer with a fierce shot from just inside the area. Chances at both ends in this one, but it's the Albion who look like going in ahead at the interval.

The best chance of the game has arrived and it's gone the way of the Potters. Tyrese Campbell runs onto a ball down the right and fires a shot in, only for Viktor Johansson to stand firm and block the effort, the follow-up from Will Smallbone is then kept out by the sliding Richard Wood.

Ipswich have taken the lead against Oxford thanks to a tap in from striker Freddie Ladapo.

As it stands, with Plymouth being held 0-0 at Cheltenham, the Blues are going top of the third tier table.

Joe Thompson
Former Rochdale and Tranmere midfielder on Squad Goals

Image source, Rex Features

Preston had lost their last two games, so Ryan Lowe will be over the moon to go 1-0 up just before half-time.

Darragh Lenihan is back to defending again, diverting Callum Lang's goalbound shot past the post with a good block. Charlie Hughes rises highest to meet the subsequent corner at the far post but heads narrowly over. A good chance, that!

A few moments ago Boro defender Darragh Lenihan's block denied Thelo Aasgard, well the tables have been turned and in the other box Lenihan's header from a corner is diverted over his own crossbar by Aasgard.

Coventry City with their first big moment of the game against highflying Sheffield United.

Viktor Gyokeres runs onto a ball from Kasey Palmer, but defender Anel Ahmedhodzic is there to stop the striker in his tracks.

Quick little flurry of fourth tier goals.

Experienced striker Matt Smith has put Salford 1-0 up against Barrow as they look to get their play-off bid back on track.

Otis Khan has equalised for Grimsby at Harrogate and the battle of the bottom two is going the way of the visitors, Colchester lead 1-0 at Gillingham through Junior Tchamedu's goal.

Hopes probably not too high for a Gills comeback, they haven't scored a league goal since OCTOBER and have just six all season.

The Baggies are close to a second as Daryl Dike's header from a Jed Wallace corner is kept out by an instinctive save from Max O'Leary with Conor Townsend unable to turn in the rebound from close range thanks to some desperate defending on the line from Joe Williams.