EFL Five Talking Points: Lincoln City’s brick wall, Michael Duff’s Bradford City bow and more

Hello and welcome to my five talking points for this week. 

The international break has come and gone with all three EFL divisions returning this weekend as we explore a full programme of fixtures. 

A Championship keeper has been excelling, so we will dive into how he is helping his club secure some invaluable results.

There have been a few managerial changes as the merry-go-round continues.

We will be exploring new appointments at Preston North End and League One duo Peterborough United and Bradford City. 

Let’s get started with that goalkeeper who is saving almost everything. 

For exclusive stories and all the detailed EFL news you need, subscribe to The Football League Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.

Lincoln’s brick wall

Lincoln City are in the second tier for the first time since the 1960s, and several players shone during their League One title-winning campaign.

One of those players was goalkeeper George Wickens, who finished the season with the joint-highest number of clean sheets alongside then-Stevenage goalkeeper Filip Marschall.

Wickens has brought that form into the Championship with him. It’s still early in the season, but the Imps are already exceeding many people’s expectations.

The 24-year-old has kept four clean sheets in just eight games, putting him at the top of the standings.

He also has a save percentage of almost 78%, one of the best in the division.

Managerial merry-go-round

Preston and Peterborough have both appointed new managers across the international break. 

Robbie Savage will be taking charge of his first league game this weekend, following a 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town U21s in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy on Tuesday, as Peterborough travel to Leicester City.

Preston, meanwhile, have appointed former Bradford City boss Graham Alexander, who succeeds Paul Heckingbottom. I did explore this last week.

Alexander will now get his first taste of Championship management when Preston welcome Millwall to Deepdale, with the 54-year-old having had the international break to work with his new squad.

Back at the club where he made more than 370 league appearances as a player, he is tasked with leading a Lilywhites revival after a poor start to the season has left them in the bottom three.

Back in League One, Bradford have appointed Alexander’s successor, with experienced manager Michael Duff joining the West Yorkshire outfit.

Duff previously managed Wycombe Wanderers but was sacked earlier this month following a winless start to the campaign.

Championship: Pressure building at both ends

With the international break now over, we have a full programme of fixtures to look forward to.

On Friday evening, West Ham United host QPR, as second takes on sixth. The Hammers will be hoping to temporarily overtake leaders Swansea City. 

The Swans face Norwich City on Saturday in one of three lunchtime kick-offs.

The other two are a tasty West Midlands derby, as West Brom lock horns with local rivals Birmingham City, while Charlton Athletic welcome Bristol City.

Wolves make the long trip up to Middlesbrough as third plays fourth. Both sides will be looking for three points to close the gap on the leading duo of Swansea and West Ham.

At the other end of the table, Derby County and John Eustace will be hoping for a win against mid-table Wrexham.

Burnley also face a tough test as they visit Watford. Despite it being early in the season, both teams will be keen to start picking up results.

League One: Duff’s Bradford bow

In the third tier, Duff takes charge of Bradford for the first time as the Bantams welcome Leyton Orient to Valley Parade.

The home side will be hoping for a smooth transition between managers and a result that keeps them joint top of the table.

Joint leaders Plymouth Argyle are also in action at home, with AFC Wimbledon making the trip to the south coast.

As in the Championship, third takes on fourth as in-form Huddersfield Town face Sheffield Wednesday.

The Terriers have lost just once in all competitions, the 2-1 reversal at Bromley a few weeks back.

Wednesday, meanwhile, have not tasted defeat since the end of August against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, setting up an intriguing contest.

At the other end of the table, Wigan Athletic travel to Stevenage looking to kickstart their campaign.

The Latics sit bottom on just four points, although they have won one more game than fellow strugglers MK Dons.

The Dons host Reading still searching for their first league victory of the season.

League Two: York making their mark

In the basement division, Salford City sit at the top of the tree, but unbeaten Barnet and Crewe Alexandra are keeping the pressure on.

The Ammies travel to Cheltenham Town, who will be looking to respond after a shock defeat to Accrington Stanley last weekend.

Barnet and Crewe both face tricky away trips, with the former heading to Swindon Town and the latter travelling to Bristol Rovers.

Walsall are the only other unbeaten side in the division and they visit Fleetwood Town looking to keep that record intact.

York City deserve a special mention too, sitting sixth on their return to the league.

The Minstermen host Northampton Town this weekend after an impressive 3-0 victory over Gillingham last time out.

At the other end of the table, Port Vale host Grimsby Town while Crawley Town welcome Chesterfield, with both home sides looking to claim their second win of the season.

I’ll be back next week when, no doubt, the world of football will have changed once more.

Thank you for reading, and have a good weekend whether your team wins or loses.

READ MORE: Southampton boss Tonda Eckert given suspended six-week ban and fine over Spygate