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Live Reporting

Ben Kosky, Ben Miller, Alex Seftel and Katie Holloway

All times stated are UK

  1. KICK-OFF

    #bbcefl

    And we are off!

    Twelve matches in League One and League Two are starting right now, with Stevenage v Cambridge now starting at 20:00 GMT and Wigan v Bolton to follow 15 minutes later.

    An action-packed night awaits - and we'll keep you up to speed every step of the way!

  2. Four League One teams holding on to play-off hopes

    #bbcefl

    Stevenage manager Steve Evans

    There is a quartet of teams sitting just below the play-off places for whom tonight represents a crucial game in hand.

    Stevenage are the closest, with just one point separating themselves and Oxford United, who are sixth in the table.

    The Boro have won each of their last four Football League games against tonight's opponents Cambridge United, with home manager Steve Evans personally unbeaten against the U's in eight matches.

    Directly below Stevenage are Leyton Orient and Blackpool, who face each other at Brisbane Road in a fixture which Richie Wellens' side haven't won for 23 years.

    Meanwhile, 10th-placed Lincoln City can extend their unbeaten run to nine games if they avoid defeat at home to Shrewsbury Town, who like Cambridge have moved up one place in the table today after Reading's two-point deduction.

    Below them, Cheltenham Town - who are one point from safety - can climb out of the relegation zone later. They will likely need to win away at Wycombe Wanderers to do that, given their inferior goal difference compared with Charlton.

  3. All at sea against Blackpool - can Bolton bounce back?

    Wigan v Bolton (19:45 GMT)

    Bolton's George Thomason

    A case of promotion jitters or an isolated blip? Bolton supporters will be hoping Saturday’s 4-1 thumping at the hands of Blackpool proves to be the latter.

    The only crumb of comfort in the Trotters camp was that captain Ricardo Santos, sent off for preventing a goalscoring opportunity in the second half at Bloomfield Road, had his red card overturned on appeal and can line up against Wigan tonight.

    However, Bolton’s last meeting with their Greater Manchester neighbours didn’t exactly go according to plan, the Latics romping to a 4-0 victory at the Toughsheet Community Stadium back in August.

    Wigan’s eight-point deduction at the start of the season has left them nestling in mid-table, but they have failed to win any of their last three home games, including Friday’s 1-1 draw against Cheltenham.

    Shaun Maloney’s side certainly hold the upper hand in recent clashes with Bolton, though – they have not lost any of the last six and put 16 goals past their rivals during that time.

  4. A question of form in League Two's other games

    #bbcefl

    Newport County manager Graham Coughlan

    Newport County may be 16th in the League Two standings, but no side can boast better than their four wins from their last six matches.

    They face Harrogate Town, who are trying to achieve a first victory since their crushing 9-2 defeat at Mansfield earlier this month.

    Simon Weaver's side have only managed two wins in their last 16 midweek home games in the division, but could still return to the play-off places with victory tonight.

    Notts County are four points off the all-important seventh spot as they host bottom side Sutton United, with both teams struggling for form. Notts' 3-1 win at Newport two weeks ago is the only game that either side have won in their last six matches.

    Elsewhere, Tranmere play away to Swindon, in a battle between two opponents only separated on goal difference in 17th and 18th places in the table respectively.

  5. 'We’re giving it everything'

    Walsall v Accrington Stanley (19:45 GMT)

    Walsall score a goal

    Walsall have scored six times without reply since Mansfield Town equalised against them at the Bescot Stadium on 17 February, beating the leaders 2-1 (pictured) before seeing off Morecambe 3-0 at home and Harrogate Town 2-0 away.

    "The group are unbelievable," said Saddlers head coach Mat Sadler ahead of a game against 14th-placed Accrington which will send his side moving into the final play-off spot if they can keep their winning run going.

    "There is still a large section of the season left and we’re fighting. We’re giving it everything that we’ve got," Sadler added.

    Accrington are only two points behind Walsall but on a two-match winless run, including a 1-0 home defeat against Crawley Town three days ago, which has dropped them off the scent off the top seven - and manager John Coleman says it's all about taking their chances.

    Stanley had 22 of the 31 shots between the teams in their setback on Saturday, sending in 10 on target with no reward as they made it six out of their last seven games in which they have scored one goal or less.

    "We know they are capable of taking their chances," Coleman warned of Walsall. "That's one thing we have got to be wary of."

  6. Saddlers to pay tribute to Nicholl

    Walsall v Accrington Stanley (19:45 GMT)

    Walsall will hold a minute's applause before kick-off at the Bescot Stadium and the players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect for former manager Chris Nicholl, whose death at the age of 77 was announced on Sunday.

    After being appointed in August 1994, former Northern Ireland, Southampton and Aston Villa defender Nicholl led the Saddlers to promotion from the fourth tier in his first season in charge and top-half finishes in the third tier in his two subsequent campaigns.

    "Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time," said a club statement following the news.

  7. 'A great week for us'

    Salford City v Colchester United (19:45 GMT)

    Colchester manager Danny Cowley

    Class of 92-owned Salford City announced this week that they are seeking outside investment to help fund their ambitions of reaching the Championship.

    For now, though, an extension of their four-match unbeaten home run is surely the aim during a week when they play twice in five days at the Salford Community Stadium, starting tonight against Colchester United and proceeding to Saturday's visit of Gillingham.

    City are 13 points clear of the relegation zone and 12 shy of the play-off spots, but their last three matches have been far more interesting than the mid-tablism that position suggests, yielding 18 goals in total.

    After a 5-3 home win over Barrow in which they were twice behind, their 5-1 defeat at Mansfield Town on Saturday came despite their equaliser shortly before the break, with the leaders adding their final two goals after Theo Vassell's second-half dismissal.

    "Karl Robinson has come in and done a really good job, playing to their strengths," said Colchester boss Danny Cowley, whose side have taken the lead before drawing both of their last two matches.

    Saturday's stalemate against bottom side Sutton United means Colchester, who host second-placed Stockport County on Saturday, are five points clear of the drop zone. "It's a great week for us," Cowley said. "Lots of points to play for."

  8. Bottom of League Two

    Top of League Two table
  9. Contrasting ambitions at The New Lawn

    Forest Green Rovers v Wrexham (19:45 GMT)

    Forest Green Rovers manager Steve Cotterill

    Forest Green may be second from bottom in League Two but they've started to pull up trees under new manager Steve Cotterill and will move a point behind Grimsby Town, who they visit on Saturday, if they beat fourth-placed Wrexham tonight.

    Saturday's win at home to Tranmere Rovers - earned through a superb Charlie McCann goal - was their second in three matches, and they're expecting a bumper crowd tonight, the home contingent of whom would undoubtedly love to see a repeat of their 3-0 home win when these teams last met, in the National League in March 2017.

    "They have a great football man in charge," Cotterill said of visiting boss Phil Parkinson. "He's put a good squad together and we'll be well prepared as we can be for the challenge. We're looking forward to the game."

    Ahead of the first ever EFL meeting between these teams, you scarcely need telling that much has changed for both sides since that season, when Wrexham finished mid-table and Forest Green were promoted via the play-offs.

    Victory tonight would lift Parkinson's players into the final promotion spot, a point behind leaders Mansfield Town - but they're on a two-match winless run after drawing 1-1 at MK Dons and, on Saturday, losing 1-0 at Gillingham.

  10. Top of League Two

    Top of League Two table
  11. Moore's men must seize opportunity against Fleetwood

    Port Vale v Fleetwood (19:45 GMT)

    Port Vale manager Darren Moore

    So what’s happened to the famed ‘new manager bounce’, Port Vale fans might be wondering?

    It’s three defeats from three since Vale appointed ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town boss Darren Moore with the brief of hauling them towards League One safety, and tonight’s game against fellow strugglers Fleetwood bears a whiff of ‘must-win’ status.

    The Burslem side are third from bottom and without a win in nine games overall, but three points tonight could, depending on other results, lift them very close to that dotted line.

    However, that nine-match winless sequence included a 3-0 reverse away to Fleetwood, who go into tonight’s match in 23rd place, four points behind their opponents and with two more games ticked off.

    Charlie Adam’s side followed up that win against Vale with a 2-0 success at Bristol Rovers, but their four games since then have yielded only two more points.

  12. Bottom of League One

    Bottom of League One
  13. Improving Addicks face daunting test at Derby

    Derby v Charlton (19:45 GMT)

    Charlton's Alfie May

    The fixture list isn’t getting any kinder to struggling Charlton – having just faced two of the three front-runners for automatic promotion, they complete that set tonight with a trip to Derby.

    However, the Addicks have shown signs of arresting their slide towards the bottom four since manager Nathan Jones’ arrival a few weeks ago – they shared the points in a six-goal thriller at Bolton before holding leaders Portsmouth to a 0-0 draw at The Valley.

    As yet, though, no win for the new boss – and it’s been a barren sequence of 16 league games, almost three months to the day since Charlton’s players indulged in post-match victory celebrations.

    Second-placed Derby’s promotion aspirations were dented on Saturday, going down 2-1 at Barnsley, but they did win four of their preceding five games, including a 1-0 success away to tonight’s opponents.

    The Rams haven’t endured back-to-back defeats so far this season – and they won’t expect that to change against a side who won on their first visit to Pride Park in 1999 but haven’t repeated the feat since.

  14. Top of League One

    Top of League One table
  15. League One fixtures

    #bbcefl

    (All games 19:45 GMT unless stated)

    Burton Albion v Carlisle United

    Derby County v Charlton Athletic

    Leyton Orient v Blackpool

    Lincoln City v Shrewsbury Town

    Port Vale v Fleetwood Town

    Stevenage v Cambridge United

    Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers (20:15 GMT)

    Wycombe Wanderers v Cheltenham Town

  16. League Two fixtures (all 19.45 GMT)

    #bbcefl

    Forest Green Rovers v Wrexham

    Harrogate Town v Newport County

    Notts County v Sutton United

    Salford City v Colchester United

    Swindon Town v Tranmere Rovers

    Walsall v Accrington Stanley

  17. Kick-off delayed at DW Stadium

    Wigan v Bolton (20:15 GMT)

    There's a big derby game in the Greater Manchester area tonight, so maybe no surprise that there's heavy traffic in the vicinity of the DW Stadium, where Wigan are due to take on Bolton.

    As a result of that, kick-off has been put back to 8.15pm.

  18. Welcome!

    #bbcefl

    Thank you for joining us for this evening's League One and League Two live text.

    Derby County and Bolton Wanderers will be attempting to close the gap on League One leaders Portsmouth, while League Two strugglers Forest Green Rovers face a huge task at home against promotion hopefuls Wrexham.