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Miron Muslic and John Eustace face-off in a Championship relegation battle this weekend [Rex Features]
At this stage of the season there is something to be said for mid-table obscurity and planning your summer holidays.
While those in a title race might be enjoying the run-in, the play-off bunfight and relegation scrap produces sweaty palms and furrowed brows and this weekend has thrown-up some corkers.
Midweek results mean Miron Muslic's magic might still rub off at Plymouth while Derby are also dreaming of escaping the Championship's bottom three.
In League One, Wycombe and Wrexham eyeball each other for second place while in League Two, Cowley power is inspiring Colchester. Oh, and there's also the second Steel City Derby of the season...
Plymouth powering up?
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Miron Muslic has won five of his 15 games in charge of Plymouth [Rex Features]
Such has been the impact of Miron Muslic at Plymouth Argyle that,along with his inspiring story, there was a belief they could achieve anything this season, even more so when they dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup last month.
But a winless run of five games had some fearing even he would not be able to prevent a return to League One.
Wednesday's first away win of the season at Portsmouth has reignited hope and with Derby County rolling into Home Park this weekend, it is all set up for a proper old fashioned 'six-pointer.'
"It's a big moment for us after not being able to win away for nearly a year," Muslic told BBC Radio Devon. "This team has shown we are alive and you can count on us."
John Eustace might feel Derby have turned a corner with victories over his former club Blackburn and in-form Coventry in the space of four days moving them to within one point of safety as they head to Devon.
"The most important thing is the players are believing in what we want, the work on the training ground has been sensational and we're fighters not victims," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.
It is just as well Argyle and the Rams have started picking up points given Luton Town have taken two wins from three games to fuel their own survival hopes as they welcome a Middlesbrough side still shooting for the play-offs.
Welsh worries and Oxford anxiety
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Omer Riza took over from Erol Bulut as Cardiff boss in September [Rex Features]
With the form of the Championship's bottom three improving, it has reeled in sides just above the relegation zone, notably Omer Riza's Cardiff City and Oxford United.
The Welsh side's run of just one win from their past eight league games means anything less than a victory at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday could see them drop below the dreaded dotted line.
"Now this is a fight. Now we are going to see the boys who are going to step up and fight for this club. It's fight or flight," said Riza after defeat by Luton on Tuesday.
Blackburn are only four points outside the top six but have managed just one draw from Valerien Ismael's first three games in charge.
When Gary Rowett replaced Des Buckingham at Oxford United in late December, a nine-game unbeaten run eased fears of a swift return to League One but now a nine-match winless streak has dragged them back into trouble.
"Sometimes in League One you can turn up and have a little bit of quality and win games but the Championship is a different animal - we've put ourselves in a difficult position and we're going to have to get ourselves out of it," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.
Twenty-nine of the U's 39 points have come at home this season and Watford, still in the play-off shake-up, visit this weekend.
Play-off hopefuls queuing up
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Coventry, West Brom, Bristol City and Norwich City are four teams in the Championship play-off race [Rex Features/Getty Images]
With the top three of Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley battling it out for the two automatic promotion places and Sunderland marooned in fourth position, it looks like there are two Championship play-off places up for grabs.
The question is where do you draw the line at the realistic challengers?
Coventry City's five-match winning streak ended at Derby on Tuesday and a tricky three-game run, which includes Sheffield United and Burnley, starts at home to Sunderland on Saturday.
"We've got big games coming up with teams around us and at the top of the table - I understand in this run-in things will not always go like they have been so it's important to stay balanced about it," Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard told BBC CWR.
Quietly sitting in fifth place are West Bromwich Albion who, perhaps like their manager Tony Mowbray, are doing things in their own undemonstrative way which has produced a five-game unbeaten run heading into a home meeting with a Hull City side gradually climbing away from trouble.
A win for Bristol City on Friday at home to Norwich City would push the Robins into the top six, after a run of one defeat from their past 10 outings.
"The challenge for us is there are nine games left and to just keep churning away and perform the way we want the group to," said assistant boss Chris Hogg.
Norwich will see also it as a must-win game having surrendered a 2-0 lead in defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday and it's never good when your own captain describes a performance as a 'shambles', as Kenny McLean did in the aftermath.
Steel City pressure
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Tyrese Campbell scored the winning goal in the previous Sheffield derby this season [PA Media]
There is even more at stake in Sheffield this weekend for the second Steel City derby of the season at Hillsborough, with United in a three-way battle for a top-two finish and Wednesday building-up a head of steam for a crack at the play-offs.
The Blades are looking to record a league double over their rivals for the first time since 2006, having won at Bramall Lane in November.
With Leeds facing QPR and Burnley at Swansea on Saturday, Chris Wilder's side could be outside the automatic promotion places and five points behind the leaders by the time they kick-off on Sunday (12:30 GMT).
Tyrese Campbell scored the winner in the earlier game this season and spoke on BBC Radio Sheffield's Steel City Derby special.
"It'd be lovely to score again but for me it's about winning the game and ultimately achieving our aim of what we wanted at the start of the season."
Wins at Plymouth and Norwich this week have hauled Wednesday back into the play-off race.
"We knew they were two massive games before the derby - we've come away with maximum points which sets us up perfectly for Sunday," said Owls skipper Barry Bannan.
Chairboys to douse Dragons' fire?
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Mike Dodds replaced Matt Bloomfield as Wycombe boss in February [Rex Features]
When Wrexham beat Wycombe Wanderers on the opening day of the season, there were not many predicting it would be the Chairboys leading the race for second place in League One by the time of their re-match.
But for all their Hollywood glitz, the Welsh side will arrive in Buckinghamshire in third place, trailing their opponents on goal difference.
With leaders Birmingham City powering away 14 points clear at the top as they visit Northampton Town, attention switches to the play-off battle and relegation dogfight.
Revitalised by the appointment of Steven Schumacher,Bolton Wanderers have manoeuvred themselves into sixth position so a lunchtime derby at home to fifth-placed Stockport County looks a good test for both sides.
Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones has banned his players from going out for a coffee or shopping as they chase promotion.
Jones wants his players fully concentrated having got themselves up to fourth position as they entertain Wigan Athletic, who will have Ryan Lowe in charge for the first time.
Huddersfield Town dropped out of the top six last weekend and sacked head coach Michael Duff, with academy boss Jon Worthington taking over for the remainder of the season starting at home to Crawley Town.
At the bottom a Peterborough United win at neighbours Cambridge United would leave the U's teetering on the brink of dropping into League Two, whilst strengthening Posh's own survival prospects.
"Whenever I've come up against Cambridge, particularly at their place, league standings go out of the window and it's always a difficult game," Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
The meeting between bottom side Shrewsbury Town and Burton Albion has the makings of all or nothing for the home side.
The Shrews are already 11 points adrift while the Brewers are five points better off.
"I'm not stupid, I'm not going to gloss over everything and say it's been brilliant," Shrews boss Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Radio Shropshire. "I want to be aggressive and really get at Burton."
Cowley's Colchester mission
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Danny Cowley has taken Colchester on a 12-game unbeaten run [Getty Images]
Across the top four divisions of English football, only Birmingham City have taken more points than Colchester United in their past 10 games.
The Essex side have gone from 16th, 10 points short of League Two's top seven in January, to within one point of the play-off places.
Colchester host Fleetwood Town this weekend with the Cod Army still harbouring hopes of a late play-off charge.
"There will still be Colchester fans who will be fearing the worst, because we haven't quite got them confident yet, but they are definitely more optimistic," boss Danny Cowley told BBC Sport.
Two other promotion play-off match-ups catch the eye with seventh-placed Crewe Alexandra hosting Doncaster Rovers, who are third, in a re-run of last season's play-off semi-final.
Meanwhile eighth-placed Grimsby Town meet a Salford City side whose form has dropped off a cliff with one win and six defeats from their 11 league matches since losing 8-0 at Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Bradford City's run to the summit took a surprising detour in defeat by Gillingham last weekend and they welcome Tranmere Rovers to Valley Parade on Saturday.
"The players have been in a consistently positive and controlled state of mind for some time, not getting too excited and not getting too down if we get beaten and that will hold us in good stead," Bantams boss Graham Alexander told BBC Radio Leeds.
Walsall are three points clear at the top after Thursday's 2-2 draw at Bromley.
If Carlisle United and Morecambe are going to avoid playing National League football next season, they need to get cracking.
Carlisle will target a first home win since 29 December against high-flying AFC Wimbledon, whileThe Shrimps have a Bay Derby at home to Barrow.
You can follow all of this weekend's EFL action on the BBC Sport website, starting with our live text coverage of Bristol City against Norwich City on Friday.
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