Efl Preview: Promotion, Play-offs And Shock Return

ByKate Holloway

BBC Sport England

Promotion beckons for Lincoln City, but nan play-offs are acold from being decided. The English Football League offers truthful galore thrills that it would beryllium capable to entice you retired of status to subordinate nan fun.

At least, that's nan lawsuit for Roy Hodgson, who heads backmost to nan nine wherever he started his long, illustrious profession 44 years ago.

He takes nan instrumentality astatine Bristol City, while Middlesbrough and Millwall pursuit automatic promotion, Newport County purpose to widen their enactment successful League Two, and League One's play-off title heats up.

Here are 5 things to look retired for successful nan EFL connected Good Friday.

Aged 78, Roy Hodgson has returned to nan managerial hotseat successful nan hopes his acquisition will adhd "value and advantage" astatine his erstwhile nine Bristol City.

Having started his managerial profession successful English shot pinch nan Robins measurement backmost successful 1982, Hodgson's first spell was deed by financial turmoil.

The erstwhile England leader arrives backmost successful nan West Country without immoderate of those concerns, nor nan threat of relegation, though arsenic without much chance of earning promotion either.

Instead, Hodgson's task will beryllium to reconstruct immoderate pridefulness to a deflated Ashton Gate aft a difficult transportation model and an wounded situation led to 1 triumph successful 8 games nether erstwhile leader Gerhard Struber.

"I've been perfectly happy successful my status play - a small spot saturated from clip to clip - but a situation for illustration this was difficult to move down," Hodgson said.

"Plus nan truth it is Bristol, which is simply a beautiful city, and I do person fond memories of my clip here, contempt nan truth I shouldn't person fond memories - I should beryllium having nightmares."

Hodgson starts his 2nd tenure arsenic City leader pinch a travel to Charlton Athletic connected Good Friday (15:00 BST) aiming to extremity a winless tally of 5 matches.

Both Middlesbrough and Millwall will participate their necktie astatine nan Riverside knowing it could beryllium a deciding facet successful nan automatic promotion race.

Each broadside is experiencing a flimsy wobble; Boro person only taken 2 points from their past 3 convention games (D2 L1), and nan Lions are winless successful 2 (D1 L1).

But pinch Ipswich Town connected an undefeated run, successful possession of a crippled successful manus and looming menacingly conscionable beneath nan automatic promotion line, neither big nor visitant successful Friday's lunchtime brushwood (12:30 BST) tin spend to lose.

In fact, scratch that. They whitethorn not beryllium capable to spend a tie either... aliases other their adjacent gathering could beryllium successful May's play-offs.

Lincoln City person not been successful nan 2nd tier of English shot since their relegation successful 1999, erstwhile then-chairman John Reames put nan nine up for sale, citing it was a nine successful decline.

Plagued by financial issues, nan broadside faltered astatine stone bottommost of nan section 2 array and yet fell into non-league for six seasons betwixt 2011 and 2017.

Fast guardant to 2026 and nan Imps are group to ascend to nan Championship pinch a full caller level of confidence.

After spending 4 months undefeated to spell 7 points clear of their title rivals Cardiff City, nan broadside will beryllium nan first nine successful nan EFL to gain themselves promotion this play should they conclusion AFC Wimbledon connected Friday (15:00 BST).

"I'm really proud of nan measurement we've gone astir this season; it's 1 successful nan oculus for nan clubs that effort and walk their measurement retired of this division," Imps instrumentality Chris Wray told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

"In nan past, we've ne'er really blown teams retired of nan fund table; we've ever built it connected difficult work, that honesty and that togetherness. This is nan astir together we've ever seen a Lincoln City team, surely successful my lifetime."

League One's play-off title is immensely competitory this season, and nan teams that are vying to book their spot are not having overmuch respite arsenic six of nan apical 10 teams will play each different to kick-off Easter play astatine 15:00 BST.

Third-placed Bolton Wanderers will effort to regain their composure aft disappointing draws against Rotherham and Doncaster were followed up pinch a dismal nonaccomplishment to basement broadside Port Vale.

They sojourn a surging Plymouth Argyle but will person to do truthful without Corey Blackett-Taylor aft nan winger was ruled retired of nan remainder of nan season pinch injury.

The Trotters are not beryllium nan only ones trying to stave disconnected a top-six hopeful, though, arsenic Stockport County sojourn a Wycombe Wanderers broadside hoping to do nan same.

While Huddersfield Town big sixth-placed Reading connected Friday (15:00 BST) successful nan midst of a genuinely challenging extremity to nan play to effort and sneak themselves backmost into nan play-offs.

The Terriers are coming disconnected nan backmost of a 2-2 tie pinch convention leaders Lincoln City and a 3-1 nonaccomplishment to array neighbours Plymouth Argyle and still person games against Wycombe, Cardiff City and Bolton to travel erstwhile nan crippled against nan Royals concludes.

All of which they will person to look without leader Liam Manning, who has taken compassionate leave for nan remainder of nan season.

Newport County are nan perennial League Two side.

The Welsh nine person been successful nan 4th section for 13 successive seasons, a longer enactment than immoderate different existent EFL squad successful immoderate of nan 3 divisions, but that grounds seems to beryllium nether threat this play - and not successful a bully way.

Newport are conscionable 2 points supra nan relegation line, and while leader Christian Fuchs seems to person stabilised nan broadside somewhat, their upcoming crippled against chap strugglers Crawley Town connected Friday (15:00 BST) will beryllium a existent testament to wherever nan nine is.

Win, and it will supply a much-needed boost to nan side's endurance hopes. Lose and things will consciousness bleak astatine Rodney Parade sloppy of whether they driblet into nan bottommost 2 erstwhile again.

"I deliberation they request 3 much wins, and it looks for illustration it's going to beryllium a very debased points full for survival," erstwhile Exiles leader Mike Flynn said.

"If they do enactment up, hopefully erstwhile they do enactment up, they study from this and we're not successful this position for nan foreseeable future."