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December is always a crucial month leading up to Christmas for clubs December: A month that will bring festivities, goodwill, gifts, too much food, too much drink, and - best of all - too much football. The month leading up to Christmas is always frantic, always dramatic, and often leads to more than one manager hoping they don't find the tangerine at the bottom of their stocking wrapped in their P45. Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday set the Championship tone for the month last Sunday as Barry Bannon's chef's kiss of a goal helped the Owls nick a sensational late win. This week's December games in League One and Two were typically entertaining, producing 72 goals. Now we go again. The race to finish top/not bottom at Christmas is on. Scott Parker replaced Vincent Kompany as head coach at Burnley in July We start with a belter on Friday night, as Burnley tries to overtake Sheffield United, who round off things on Sunday, at the top of the Championship. It's a classic case of an immovable object meeting an irresistible force as the Clarets' concrete defence prepares for the wrecking ball of Middlesbrough's free-scoring attack. Scott Parker's momentum men have won 10 and lost two of their 18 games and won four on the spin without conceding. Boro couldn't stop scoring for most of November, with 18 goals coming in three games, and their tally of 32 is second only to Norwich. Boss Michael Carrick says it feels like he's on a treadmill already with Leeds United to follow Burnley. Unlike the sweating trier in the gym, Carrick will be hoping Boro's efforts can actually move them forward. Saturday's Championship action kicks off at lunchtime with three 12: 30 GMT starts. By then, Leeds will know whether a win over Derby will take them top. After three straight victories and nine goals scored, at Blackburn, Daniel Farke's side hit the buffers, and Farke hit the roof amid cries over fair play, before threatening to trigger a wider debate on the nobility of the English game. On that, Derby fans might want to go easy on any Leeds players after the pelters they gave Barry Bannon were stroked gloriously into their faces from 35 yards last week. Sunderland can also put pressure on the automatic promotion places if they can see off Stoke City, who continue to stabilise under new head coach Narcis Pelach. While there's no shame in losing to Sheffield United, the Black Cats know their previous run of five draws in a row needs to be supplemented with some wins if their challenge is to move up a gear. In the other early start, Wednesday takes on Preston looking to take care of business and that 35-year-old left foot of Bannon. A win would be number three on the spin for the Owls, and they must fancy their chances with North End's last victory back on 19 October. Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Remember I mentioned goodwill? Well, as ever, there's more than one manager hoping his chairman's bon amie has a little more mileage in it. That said, Wayne Rooney and Rob Edwards may fear that if the writing's not about to be put on the wall, the undercoat's being applied. According to former Reading, Watford and Crystal Palace winger, Jobi Mc Anuff, Edwards' situation at Luton is "unsavable". Tipped to go straight through the division again following their gutsy failure to stay in the Premier League last season, many assumed that would be back up, not down into League One. But after their 10th defeat of the season at Norwich, the Hatters are only three points above the relegation zone. The sounds out of Kenilworth Road aren't positive either, with Edwards taking the gamble of publicly blaming his players for the result. That never tends to end well. Ask Troy Deeney. Mc Anuff thinks no one's enjoying it and says the club is "running out of time" to make a decision on Edwards. Defeat at home to Swansea may well see them call it. The future of Rob Edwards as Luton head coach could hinge on Saturday's result against Cardiff Rooney's situation, on the face of it, seems a little less precarious. Although suffering the "toughest" week of his managerial career after seeing his Plymouth side ship 10 goals in two games, the former England captain has been given the club's backing. History says that's not often the most reassuring thing, but director of football Neil Dewsnip is adamant they are fully behind their "driven" head coach to "turn the ship around". That ship has the leakiest of hulls, breached 38 times - the most in the Championship. Rooney knows the holes must be plugged at home to Oxford United - otherwise, the Pilgrims may slip into the bottom three. That will depend on whether Hull City can find that "interim manager bounce" (IMB) following the sacking of Tim Walter. The German was fired just before defeat by Middlesborough - their fifth loss in a row - a result given an unusual context by forward Mason Burstow's honesty over the deterioration of his relationship with his ex-boss. Burstow, who scored his first goal against Boro, said things with Walter got so bad he felt like "giving up". Maybe Hull's new broom - whether that's pushed by interim boss Andy Dawson or Walter's likely permanent replacement, Ruben Selles - will do the trick against in-form Blackburn. There will be a minute's applause and players will wear black armbands in memory of Millwall boss John Docherty (right) following his death at 84 It'll be an emotional afternoon at the New Den as Millwall entertain Frank Lampard's Coventry City, three days after the death of their legendary manager John Docherty. The Scot is the only boss in Lions history to take the club into the top flight of English football - doing so in 1988. As for the Sky Blues, Lampard's West Ham and Chelsea background will ensure that getting a maiden win as boss at Millwall would be especially welcome, but ending the Lions' nine-game unbeaten run may take some doing. Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers search for the fresher air of safety continues against Bristol City and Norwich, respectively. Bottom club Pompey do have games in hand as they try to preserve an encouraging two-game unbeaten run that's brought four points. While Hoops' boss, Marti Cifuentes, hopes a first home win of the campaign can tame the "brutal" nature of the Championship, as he put it, after a decent run of five points out of nine. On Sunday, Sheffield United may not be top when they take on top-six-chasing West Bromwich Albion. The Blades were the first opponents Carlos Corberan faced as Baggies boss in October 2022. They lost 2-0 at The Hawthorns that day. With their last 10 games featuring more 'Ds' than the Match of the Day theme tune (nine), it's likely Albion will need to be at their obdurate best to deny the Blades a seventh win in eight. Jon Brady quit Northampton days after taking charge of his 200th game for the club League One leaders Wycombe may have seen their impressive 11-match winning run end, but this week's spirited draw at Exeter stretched their unbeaten record to 15 games. Boss Matt Bloomfield is the poster boy for the feet-on-the-ground managers out there, saying their record so far is "irrelevant" and is making sure his side doesn't dare dine out on what they've achieved, which, Bloomfield is quick to point out ahead of in-form Reading's visit, is nothing. With Wrexham breathing down the Chairboys' necks still and dangerous-looking Birmingham refusing to go away, Wycombe will be mindful of Bloomfield's sentiments. Three points is all that separates all three, with all three in with a chance of going top. At the other end, Northampton, like Hull, will be hoping for a dose of IMB following Thursday's surprise resignation of manager Jon Brady. Surprising, from the fact that it came 48 hours after the 49-year-old spoke about his "pride" at what he'd achieved in three and a half years at the club. His 200th game ended in defeat at Stevenage - the Cobblers' third in a six-game winless run - leaving them in the bottom four. Interim boss Ian Sampson is in charge of delivering the bounce as Peterborough comes to Sixfields on Monday. Before then, under pressure Garry Monk will want his Cambridge side to back up his pledge that there will be a "huge response" in a vital game against bottom club Shrewsbury Town. Burton Albion's season so far has been a bit of a mess. The managerless Brewers were embarrassed by non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup but, to their credit, responded with an impressive win at Peterborough that at least took them off the foot of the table. They will hope Tom Hounsell can conjure some sustained "IMB" as he continues his temporary spell in charge at home to Wrexham, although the club's Scandinavian owners suggested this week he could get the job permanently. Darren Moore says Vale Park will be 'bouncing' for the visit of early title-rivals Walsall There's no doubt about the game of the weekend in League Two, as the top two meet at Vale Park. Port Vale, who've been leading the way since October, grabbed a precious point at Cheltenham to stay one clear of Walsall. The Saddlers, unbeaten on the road since September, go to Burslem knowing a draw would be enough to take them top. Keeping a keen eye on that result will be Doncaster. Fresh from side-stepping an FA Cup shock against non-league Kettering, they comfortably saw off Fleetwood, with 38-year-old Billy Sharp still living up to his name, with his third goal in two games. Victory over Cheltenham, coupled with a draw between Vale and Walsall, will see them take a share of the lead. Scott Lindsay's MK Dons go for their seventh straight league win as they face Barrow with the chance to move into the top three. Crewe can go 10 games without defeat - and potentially third - if they can come away with something from Bradford. At the other end, Ian Holloway goes in search of his first league win as his struggling Swindon side hosts Fleetwood against the backdrop of calls for the club's owner to sell up. Morecambe, who host Grimsby, are currently in the last safe spot and will hope to keep the Robins and 23rd-placed Carlisle, who are at Newport, right where they are. The BBC Sport website will have live text coverage of the EFL action this weekend starting on Friday night as Burnley host Middlesbrough in the Championship. Football latest: Postecoglou news conference coming up as Tottenham's troubles mount Brook & Carse give England upper hand on New Zealand Russell v Verstappen - what's going on? Take a walk down the high street through the ages Annie Gray's immersive story of our shops from the medieval marketplace to the first department stores Why did the entire Key Bridge in Baltimore collapse? 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