EFL preview: Lampard and Rooney headline Boxing Day bonanza

With all due respect to the rest of the division a couple of fixtures jump off the page in League Two affecting both ends of the table.

Walsall against Doncaster Rovers is top against third and with an unbeaten league run of 11 games including four wins on the bounce the Saddlers are going to take some stopping.

Nathan Lowe’s 10 league goals have drawn many admiring glances in the direction of the on-loan Stoke forward and it’s a worry for Walsall fans.

Given the form of his parent club it wouldn’t be a surprise if Lowe was recalled in January and thrust into a Championship relegation battle.

Doncaster ran out of puff in the play-offs last season after a record-breaking run to get into the post-season bun fight.

Tipped to go up this year they are living up to the billing albeit just two wins from the past seven games has found them stuttering more recently.

It will hardly be a relaxing Christmas Day for those involved with Carlisle United and Morecambe as the EFL’s bottom two meet while desperately trying to avoid slipping through the trapdoor into the National League.

Normally you will find managers attempting to downplay the significance of an isolated game but Carlisle boss Mike Williamson is almost playing up to it.

“I don’t need to quantify this game, it’s huge,” Williamson told BBC Radio Cumbria.

The Cumbrians know the pain of relegation from the EFL having experienced it back in 2004 while Morecambe are only in their 18th season after winning the play-offs in 2007.

Festive cheer might be hard to find for the losers at Brunton Park so probably best to wish everyone a Happy Christmas now!

You can follow all the EFL coverage on the BBC Sport website with dedicated live text services for the Championship and Leagues One and Two on Boxing Day.