Five things to look out for in EFL this weekend

With all the fun of transfer deadline day to come at the start of next week it might be easy to forget there is some football to be played between now and Monday but, as agents battle to squeeze the last penny out of clubs for their clients' services, there are points to be won.

Stoke City against West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough at home to Sheffeld United were Premier League fixtures not so long ago, but all four find themselves seeking a return to former glories, while Millwall and Wrexham renew acquaintance nearly a quarter of a century after their last meeting.

It's not quite 25 years since Wigan faced Stockport - in fact it was Tuesday. But they go at it again in League One, while you might forgive Grimsby for being a little bleary-eyed as Bristol Rovers hit town.

Here are five things to look out for this weekend.

This is Stoke's eighth season in the Championship since relegation and during that time the best they have managed is 14th.

Three wins from their opening three league games suggests better times might be around the corner, but when you are on your fifth manager in three years, supporters might reserve judgement.

"We have to enjoy it - we've won three out of three but we don't get carried away," current boss Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke after last weekend's win at Southampton.

"The big thing for me is we can get better."

Robins has seen it and done it in a managerial career spanning 18 years, but in Ryan Mason he comes up against a rookie manager already making a good impression at West Brom.

Stoke's managerial turnover might look excessive, but Mason became the third man to take the Baggies hot seat in the space of six months.

Carlos Corberan returned to Spain on Christmas Eve, while the return of the much-respected Tony Mowbray failed to produce the desired top-six finish so, having failed with experienced appointments, the club plucked Mason from Tottenham's backroom staff.

An unbeaten start has garnered seven points, and getting midfielder Alex Mowatt to sign a new contract might be key to their hopes.

"I've loved my time here. We haven't got a promotion yet, which is why I came here, so hopefully this season we can be right up there," the 30-year-old told BBC Radio WM.

Saturday's meeting (12:30 BST) is a good chance for one of these two to lay down a statement victory.

Middlesbrough and Sheffield United can point to recent tastes of the Premier League, with the Blades two years on from a rather chastening experience. For Boro, it has been eight years.

Both are reaping different results from choosing to change managers in the summer.

Rob Edwards' divorce from Luton was painful, having led them to promotion to, and then relegation from, the Premier League.

Refreshed after five months away, he has certainly hit the ground running, with a 100% record - the first time Middlesbrough have won their opening three league games since the 1994/95 season which, by the way, finished with them winning the Championship title.

"It's down to the hard work of the group - it's really difficult to win games of football but we have to recognise why and keep living it all the time," Edwards told BBC Radio Tees.

How Boro deal with the loss of attacking midfielder Finn Azaz to Southampton remains to be seen.

While things are looking up at the Riverside, spare a thought for those in red and white in Sheffield, with United one of two Championship sides - along with Oxford United - yet to win a point.

Replacing a club legend like Chris Wilder was never going to be easy, but when Ruben Selles pitched up at Bramall Lane having kept Hull City in the Championship only on goal difference, he already had a point to prove.

Three successive defeats means that point has become a whole lot harder to prove.

"I will not open a book of excuses - I need to do my job better," said Selles.

Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough (12:30 BST) is a chance for the embattled boss to ease the pressure or, it may just crank up another notch.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since these two last met, on 28 April, 2001, and some of that water now appears to be dowsing Wrexham's fire.

It was 1-1 in North Wales 24 years ago, since when Wrexham have been to the brink of extinction as well as dropping out of the EFL, while the Lions have been to an FA Cup final and played in Europe.

Much has been written and said about the Welsh side's takeover and rise from non-league football to the Championship in the space of three years.

Heavy investment in the likes of Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead and Callum Doyle has so far produced one solitary point, but more recruits are expected before the window shuts on Monday.

Millwall's transfer approach has taken a lighter touch, but a late dalliance with the play-offs last season has been backed up by two wins from three to start this campaign and Alex Neil's carefully assembled squad might just be a decent bet for the play-offs.

"It's going to be a tough match, they've spent a lot of money in the summer and they'll have their own aspirations but every game at Championship level is tough," Neil told BBC Radio London.

Thirty-three miles separate Wigan Athletic and Stockport County and the road is going to become a familiar one this season as they will face each other at least four times.

A quirk of fate means Wigan's 1-0 EFL Cup win on Tuesday is quickly followed by a return to the Brick Community Stadium for County for a League One encounter on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The sides will also meet twice at Edgeley Park in the league and EFL Trophy.

For Wigan, it is all about trying to rebuild under Ryan Lowe, while the club still lives in the shadow of eight seasons in the Premier League and that FA Cup win in 2013.

The same year as the Latics were lifting the cup, Stockport were suffering relegation to National League North.

The climb back to the EFL took eight years but progress since then has been swift and we can expect Dave Challinor to have them challenging again.

After each massive high usually comes an inevitable low - something Grimsby Town will want to avoid and something Bristol Rovers will hope to inflict.

Blundell Park has seen its fair share of drama over the years, but surely little comes close to their 12-11 penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United on Wednesday, having seen their 2-0 lead evaporate in the final 15 minutes.

The challenge for manager Dave Artell is to bring his troops down off the ceiling and get ready to prevent Darrell Clarke's Pirates raiding the Lincolnshire coast.

Grimsby are unbeaten in their first five league games, and are one point off leaders Crewe. Rovers have just one win but football has a funny way of bringing you back down to earth.

"I'm not sure if that result can be topped, but I hope it's replicated often," said Artell.

Victory over Rovers might not top it, but it might tell the manager quite a lot about his players.

You can follow the entire weekend as it happens here on the BBC Sport website and app, starting with live text coverage of Leicester City v Birmingham City on Friday 29 August.

We will have live text commentary of the Championship, League One and League Two campaigns all season right here on BBC Sport.