Middlesbrough midfielder Riley McGree wasn't too popular when he cut short his loan at St Andrew's to join Boro on a permanent deal.

He almost made himself even more unpopular with Birmingham's fans, as he volleyed at goal for Boro but was flagged off from a Ryan Giles corner.

Ross Heaton
BBC Radio Lancashire

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It's a sensational strike from the left-back Ian Maatsen, in off the post. He didn't have much to aim at but he managed to find the far corner.

Rob Gurney
BBC Radio WM Sport

Albion could have scored two or three goals already. It is all Albion in the opening stages.

Jean Michael Seri keeping referee Geoff Eltringham busy early on, getting a booking inside six minutes.

Hull get the first booking, if it's worth anything.

How are the Baggies not ahead?!

First Joe Lumley denies Jayson Molumby from point-blank range, then the resulting corner is headed against the post by Conor Townsend.

Reading hanging on.

There's a scenario where West Brom could find themselves in the Championship's top six by the end of today.

Midfielder Okay Yokuslu has had their first effort of note of the afternoon, shooting wide from outside the box.

Keinan Davis with the best chance of the game so far for Watford.

Some neat football through the lines by the Hornets sees Davis released on the right, and he strode past his marker and into the box before arrowing a low drive which Angus Gunn beat away from his near post.

Smart save.

Did a double take on seeing the Watford kit. Clearly they can't wear their traditional gold against the yellow-shirted Canaries but it's a Newcastle-style black and white stripes we're treated to here.

Norwich dictating the pace at the moment. The humbug-esque Hornets on the backfoot.

With second-placed Sheffield United not in action until this evening, Burnley will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the Championship to six points by 17:00 GMT.

Whistles are shrilling around the country.

It's time. Good luck.

Rights restrictions mean that the BBC's local radio football commentaries from the EFL are sadly unable to be streamed on our websites.

It's not ideal, I know.

However, if you are in the relevant broadcasting areas then you can listen in on both FM and DAB frequencies for their take on how your team is getting on.

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Barrow v Rochdale: Mid-table Barrow have been struggling of late and are coming off a bad 2-1 loss to Tranmere after conceding a late winner when their opponents were down to 10 men. Second-from-bottom Rochdale haven't tasted victory since the beginning of November. But if you're looking for positive vibes, they beat their hosts 2-1 earlier in the season.

Newport County v Crawley Town: Both these sides are struggling toward the bottom of the League Two table. Hosts Newport will be pumped after earning a point in a goalless draw against league leaders Leyton Orient on Friday. After a pair of promising results toward the end of November Crawley Town have fallen into a three-game skid and are in desperate need of steading the ship to avoid slipping closer to the relegation zone.

Northampton Town v Leyton Orient: A top-of-the-table clash, this game is absolutely the pick of the bunch today in League Two, with both sides looking to get off the mat after failing to win their final matches of 2022. When these two sides met earlier in the season it resulted in a goalless draw with Northampton having a player sent off.

Stevenage v Gillingham: A match between two teams at either end of the table this could be a little lop-sided. The hosts are sitting comfortably in second place and undefeated through their last eight matches and coming off a solid 3-1 win over Crawley Town. Meanwhile, Gillingham are basement bottom and deep in a fight to survive. They drew with their opponents earlier in the season but the Gills haven't tasted victory since early October and are in desperate need of stopping-the-rot before it's too late.

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After a bumper crop of League One fixtures on New Year's Day we have four more for you to follow this afternoon.

Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers: Fourth-placed Barnsley begin 2023 in good shape just nine points off the automatic promotion places and with two games in hand. Michael Duff's side haven't lost a league game since the end of October and they have won their last five on home turf. Meanwhile, Bolton are going steady in seventh with one loss from their last seven league matches but they have struggled away from home with only three wins from 10 on the road. Should be a decent competitive affair.

Derby County v Accrington Stanley: This is going to be a tough match for the visitors. Derby County are undefeated through their last 10 league games and have won two and drawn three of their last five. But Rams boss Paul Warne knows his fifth-placed side need to turn more draws into wins before getting too comfortable in the play-off places. I'm not going to sugar coat it, Accrington Stanley need to get off the mat fast if they are to avoid a relegation battle. After grinding out a draw against a tough Barnsley side on Boxing Day they crumbled and lost to bottom of the table Morecambe a few days later.

Lincoln City v Ipswich Town: This looks like another mismatch between sides at the opposite ends of the League One table. But whilst Lincoln City may be struggling in 17th place with only one win from their last eight league games, they did beat their opponents earlier in the season, 1-0. Ipswich Town will be out to prove that was a fluke and solidify their position in second place. The Tractor Boys have the engine to do it too, they are currently the highest scoring team in the division and own the joint best away record. This match has the potential to be pretty spicy I think.

Sheffield Wednesday v Cambridge United: Promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday will be full of confidence heading into this one because not only did they comfortably beat their opponents 2-0 earlier in the season but they are unbeaten through their last 12 games and have three clean sheets at home on the bounce. Cambridge United are in a bad way and in a fight to stay in League One with just three points from their last 16 games. Fresh injuries have forced the 19th placed side to recall two players from loan to bolster its ranks.

Stoke and Preston are both in positions where their next few results will likely determine their prospects for the remainder of the season.

The Potters, who start today four points above the drop zone and eight off the play-off places, simply haven't been able to build any serious momentum throughout the season. A three-game unbeaten run was ended by Championship leaders Burnley on Friday.

As for North End, three successive league defeats have left them 15th in the table. However, they're still only four points off the top six, so still plenty for them to play for - if they can get their act together at the start of 2023.

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Where do you start with this fixture eh?! Evocative memories of the likes of Sterling and Kenny? Wembley '85, 'Chicka' Ferguson and Henderson Gill! James Leuluai's body swerve...

Oh, sorry. You mean, Athletic v City? Right, well.

It's not been a good season for the 'Tics. Kolo Toure has a job on to swing Wigan's fortunes away from relegation, as they start 2023 bottom of the Championship.

Eleven goals have been shipped in four games, with back-to-back 4-1 defeats. Painful times.

Hull City's outlook is much brighter these days under Acun Ilicali's ownership, and their stability is also bearing small fruit.

Since the break they've gone four unbeaten including victory over Birmingham last time out and draws with Watford and Sunderland.

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Saint Andrew, I have learned, is the patron saint of gout among many other things.

It's a wonderfully tenuous segue for us, to Birmingham who will hope their stadium which bears his name will prove to be an equally agonising, uncomfortable pain in the toe for Middlesbrough when they pay visit this afternoon.

John Eustace's Blues have slipped a little of late with losses to Sunderland and Hull, although fairly equal columns of wins, losses and draws show they are yet to nail down being truly great or awful.

Boro under Michael Carrick are a rejuvenated bunch form wise with a 2-1 win over Blackburn putting them amid the chasing promotion pack - yet there is still some disquiet about the method and performance from the terraces.

This is a league where two wins can propel you from doom to daylight, so a bright start to 2023 is welcome whether it's second city or Teesside.

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Welcome to the 'Yo-Yo Derby'. The meeting of two clubs who swing metronomically between the Premier League and the Championship just like the aforementioned children's toy favourite.

They say the sun shines all year round in the Canaries, but it hasn't been shining on this bunch of late, as managerless Norwich come into this game with Watford on the back of Dean Smith's exit amid a three-game winless run.

Whether their expected new boss appointment can deliver on board expectations is yet to be seen - or the appointment made for that matter - but caretaker boss Allan Russell will hope City show the same tenacity observed in their 1-1 draw with Reading last time out.

Watford might well have considered legal action given sacking managers when relatively well-placed in a league is seemingly their trademark.

The Golden Boys have their own promotion concerns to contend with though, and a 4-0 defeat by Swansea to complete 2022 will have done Slaven Bilic's heart rate little good.