Listen to a new episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast every Monday throughout the season.
Monday 1 February 2021 15:17, UK
Jonathan Oakes is joined by pundit Keith Andrews and commentator Gary Weaver to discuss all the latest from the Championship, League One and League Two.
The panel assess all the action on the pitch at the weekend, and away from it as the January window comes to a close, rounding up all the big transfer moves in the EFL. We also hear from Preston's Ryan Ledson in Ten To Tackle.
All leagues and angles are covered in this week's show, but here were some of the main talking points...
It is now 18 games unbeaten in the Championship for Brentford, a run they capped off with a 7-2 mauling of Wycombe on Saturday to underline their promotion credentials. They are well in the mix for automatic promotion once again.
Andrews: "It's a phenomenal achievement to go unbeaten for that long in this division. It's been well-documented the talent they lost in the summer, and the defensive issues they've had when Pontus Jansson is missing. But I have so much admiration for how they do things as a club and how methodical they are in their planning from window to window.
"It's going to be a fascinating second half to the season because they have real momentum. And I don't think they have even played as well as they are capable of doing yet."
One of the shock moves of this, or any, transfer window is due to happen on Deadline Day. With Liverpool swooping for Preston's Ben Davies in a bid to ease their defensive injury crisis.
Andrews: "For where Liverpool are now I think it makes absolute sense. You can maybe liken it to something like the Odion Ighalo signing by Manchester United last year. It's a stop-gap to a point, but within that you've got an opportunity as a player to stake a claim. It's a chance of a lifetime for Ben Davies.
"The only thing I would say is I think there is a snobbery in football that the big clubs don't look down that far, traditionally. Usually, Davies would have to go to a lower Premier League team and prove himself there, maybe akin to what James Tarkowski has done after his lower-league exploits. He has gone to Burnley and established himself there, and easily could have gone on to bigger and better in the last 12-18 months, and I'm sure there have been offers. "
"I'm genuinely delighted for him because he has absolutely earned this. He has been at Preston from about 10 or 11 years old. He's had countless loan moves, some to non-league, and been willing to do the hard yards in football to get to this level.
"He's also a very good footballer in terms of ability. Liverpool have a lot of possession and that won't faze him. Defensively he'll be coming up against far more talented players so it will be a test for him, but I hope he does well."
One man who will be staying at Preston is midfielder Ledson, who filled us in on some of his curious pre-match habits as he took on Ten To Tackle.
"I hop onto the pitch with my right foot first," he said. "Don't ask why! But it's just stuck and it probably always will!
"I can't even remember how it came about. I think it was when I went on loan to Cambridge, I did it one time and we won. So I just decided to stick to it."
It's been a terrible run of form for AFC Wimbledon. Just two points from 11 games has seen them drop into the League One relegation zone. A 2-0 defeat at home to arch rivals MK Dons on Saturday saw them part company with Glyn Hodges.
Is it time for them to appoint a boss who doesn't have such a strong connection with the club?
Weaver: "I'm not too sure. If you take over at Wimbledon you have to know about the history, how they got back to the Football League and how they got back to Plough Lane.
"It's been an incredible story and everyone involved needs to take great credit."
Newport looked like automatic-promotion contenders for so much of the early part of the League Two campaign.
They led the way for a long time in the fourth tier, but have failed to win any of their last eight games, drawing four, to slump to seventh in the table.
Weaver: "We mentioned earlier on about the loan market and the risk you take if they get recalled when they do well. Brandon Cooper and Scott Twine have been big misses for them.
"I spoke to Michael Flynn and he said performances have still been good, aprt from one or two like against Harrogate at the weekend. He is confident that if they win their games in hand they will be back up there."
