Adam Whitty
BBC Final Score at Edgeley Park

Image source, Getty Images

There's a cool, crisp autumnal feel about Edgeley Park today. This is a glorious old-fashioned stadium - no frills, but you don't want them anyway, do you?

This a curious match in a way - one team at the top-of-the-table who's form has dropped off, versus one of the division's biggest strugglers towards the bottom.

Stockport - having won four in a row and charging to the summit of League One, are winless in two. Jimmy McNulty, their manager, has made four changes to turn things around. Drop points again and Huddersfield have a decent gap between them and the rest, and other teams will leapfrog The Hatters in second.

Wimbledon, meanwhile, are seven without a win and just can't score. They've managed eight all season and have 11 in 21 games since March. Johnnie Jackson, given hope by a 1-1 draw against Wycombe last time out, names an unchanged team.

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Notts County goalkeeper James Belshaw has never hidden his love for playing for his boyhood club since signing from Harrogate Town in January, going on to help his beloved Magpies win promotion to League One at Wembley.

This afternoon will be a first Nottinghamshire derby against Mansfield for Belshaw.

"You can feel the fans are up for this one more than others, and it's one that they probably mark the calendars in at the start of the year to go to Field Mill," he told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"As professionals, it's about going out there and executing on the day, staying calm under pressure."

The 36-year old said he had been to previous derbies as a fan but is looking forward to getting his chance on the pitch.

"I have been in the stands, the noise, the chanting, the tackles going in. People ask me what is Notts' biggest derby is, and I would say this one.

"I'd say for Notts and Mansfield over the last few years, teams that have been sort of at similar levels. It will be nice to play in one."

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These two sets of fans will be looking forward to this - or dreading it.

The Nottinghamshire derby between Mansfield Town and Notts County has only been contested twice in the past seven years - in 2023-24 when both clubs were in League Two.

But with the Magpies winning promotion to League One last season, it's all back on again - and it will be the first time since February 2003 they have met in the third tier of English football.

This fixture has not been too kind to County in recent years, with just one win in their past 15 league meetings since a 3-2 victory in August 2005. That was also their last win away at Mansfield.

The Stags have won eight of those meetings and it's ended all square on six occasions, and Mansfield also come into this in better recent form than their rivals.

Nigel Clough's side are 10th following a six-game unbeaten run (W3 D3) and County are 19th with just one win in their past eight (D3 L4), though that did come 11 days ago against Sheffield Wednesday.

Martin Paterson's men also earned a good point against promotion-chasing Stockport last time out and, as we all know, form usually flies out of the window in a derby.

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There will be a round of applause in the second minute at Oakwell in honour of Barnsley's all-time club record appearance holder, Barry Murphy, following his death last week, aged 86.

Known as 'Spud', he played 569 games for the Tykes from 1962 to 1978 and supporters are also being encouraged to pay tribute by singing "there's only one Barry Murphy".

"It means so much to his family, who will be present," Barnsley wrote on X. "Let’s give a club legend the fitting tribute he deserves."

Read more about Murphy's legacy at Barnsley here.

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This is very much an encounter between two teams at opposite ends of the table.

Barnsley are struggling big time, having lost four on the bounce and picked up just one point from their past seven games since the start of September.

The Tykes are second from bottom and three points adrift of safety so an in-form Oxford United rocking up at Oakwell might be a haunting sight.

Aaron Ramsey's side are in fine fettle, unbeaten in their past eight games (W5 D3) and arrive fresh off the back of a 1-0 win against promotion rivals Stockport in midweek.

The U's are fifth but just a point behind second-placed County - and six points off leaders Huddersfield following their win at Bradford, with two games in hand on both the top two.

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We've got two big names in the opposing dugouts at London Road this afternoon as recently appointed Peterborough manager Robbie Savage takes on former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who arrives with his Luton Town side in decent form.

Savage won his first League One game in charge of the Posh, beating Leicester 3-1 at the King Power Stadium, but has failed to pick up a victory in three matches since then (D2 L1).

Peterborough are just inside the relegation zone and a point behind Notts County and Blackpool, who are directly above them, having played a game more than both of those teams.

The Hatters have won three on the bounce for the first time this season, including a commanding 3-1 win over Doncaster in midweek, to climb from 16th to eighth in the space of two weeks and within two points of the play-off spots.

Image source, Shutterstock

Image source, Shutterstock

After 12 games you still might need to get a tarot reader in to predict the fate of Leicester City during the Russell Martin era.

Leicester have not lit up the league with the football of the giants everyone expected, but they are also only four points short of the play-offs and three of their five victories this season have come in their past four games.

It seems the side were plagued by The Nine of Swords, a nightmare card that represents the perception of failure and anxiety, as a disillusioned fan base still carried along the wounds of the past two seasons.

But now they might have just chosen The Chariot, the determination to move forward. The message of this card? Success is imminent but it needs to be done by your own will.

That willpower will be tested as they welcome Stevenage, a side whose own topsy-turvy start to the season has put them far off the mark.

They haven't suffered successive defeats in the league since February, though, and they won't want that streak to end with a torturous afternoon in Leicester.

We've got nine games coming in League Two at 15:00 GMT:

• Accrington v Northampton
• Colchester v Walsall
• Crewe v Barnet
• Fleetwood v Bristol Rovers
• Oldham v Crawley
• Salford v Exeter
• Shrewsbury v Gillingham
• Swindon v Rotherham
• Tranmere v Cheltenham

Starters done in League One, here is the main course for the day, with eight games coming up at 15:00 GMT.

• Barnsley v Oxford United
• Leicester v Stevenage
• MK Dons v Doncaster
• Mansfield v Notts County
• Peterborough v Luton
• Stockport v AFC Wimbledon
• Wigan v Bromley
• Wycombe v Burton

Image source, Opta

Grimsby up to fifth with a lively 5-2 hammering of York who drop to sixth, while Port Vale leap out of the relegation spots with a 4-2 thrashing of Rochdale

Image source, Opta/Shutterstock

Huddersfield's convincing 3-0 win at Bradford in the West Yorkshire derby takes them five points clear at the top of League One before Stockport and Oxford play shortly.

Leyton Orient climb four places to 12th with their 3-0 win over Cambridge, who remain just outside the play-off spots.

Plymouth and Reading move up to third and fourth respectively despite their stalemate, but they could be leapfrogged in the next couple of hours.

Matt Glennon
Former Huddersfield keeper on BBC Radio Leeds

The blocks from the players, the decision-making, let's not pretend it was a perfect possession performance because at times they gave the ball away.

But overall, they looked a cut above Bradford and the gulf in quality was there for all to see.

The first half was electric, with four goals coming within the first 30 minutes. Grimsby would score, then York would find a way.

It was a tense start to the second half, but when Cameron McJannet got on the end of a sumptuous cross from Iwan Morgan the flood gates opened.

Josh Andrews slotted the ball past Alfie McNally late on after some great work by Geza David Turi, before Turi scored one of his own shortly afterwards.

It was a thrilling battle, but Grimsby were simply too good for York in the end.

An excellent showing by Onel Hernandez and co proved to be the difference between Port Vale and Rochdale.

Hernandez scored from close range inside two minutes, before winning a penalty shortly afterwards. George Byers slotted it home coolly. Jordan Gabriel then got on the scoresheet in the 22nd minute.

Rochdale came out fighting after the break. Club legend Ian Henderson scored (at the age of 41!) to give Dale hope, but when Keyrol Figueroa got Port Vale's 4th it proved too much a hurdle to overcome.

Brian Howard
Former Reading captain on BBC Radio Berkshire

Take the point away from home, then work on the other bits, lacking some quality in the final third.

I don't think there'll be many teams that come down here and get three points.

Lewis Wing hits the bar with a curling effort but that's as good as it gets to see both teams share the spoils.

Both carved out chances but the finishes weren't there.

Not quite meeting the expectations promised by their positions on the league table.

A trio of goals from Leyton Orient prevent Cambridge from breaking into the play-offs.

Another corner proved costs to the visitors as Jaze Kabia tapped the ball home to double the O's lead before Aaron Connolly's brilliant strike sealed victory with a third.

It stops the rot for Orient but the U's now extend to a fourth game without a win.

Another yellow card for Reading as Andy Rinomhota is cautioned for a foul on Harvey White.

This Plymouth free-kick might just be the last action of the game...

Gary Jones
Former Bradford City captain on BBC Radio Leeds

City lost their discipline but their defending was really, really poor for all three goals.

The biggest thing for me is the options going forward are night and day.

You see how ruthless Huddersfield are, but City are toothless at times.