With 18 EFL games live on Sky Sports+ on Tuesday night, we take a look at some of the stories with six players from the Championship, League One and League Two.
The childhood Man Utd fan who now plays for one of his heroes
Bali Mumba grew up a Manchester United fan, so there must be times it seems a little surreal to be playing under Wayne Rooney at Plymouth Argyle.
“Obviously the first couple of days and the first few weeks he was here everyone was the same,” says the 23-year-old full-back.
“The name speaks for itself, and sometimes you did find yourself thinking like: ‘Oh my gosh, he’s right there!’
“But as we got to know him he just became we can go to to help us progress in our careers.
“You’ve got to see him as the gaffer now. He’s a friend as well, who’s there to help you get to where you need to be.”
The old-school No 9 who struck a rare thunderbolt
Michael Smith doesn’t often find himself with the ball at his feet and the chance to shoot from 25 yards.
Maybe he should more often, because his thunderbolt for Sheffield Wednesday at Portsmouth saw him win Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month.
The 33-year-old striker is usually a penalty-box predator and target man. Not surprisingly, he says this was by far the best of his career.
“Hands down!” he says. “Aesthetically I haven’t scored too many like that, not even in training. I’m usually in and around the six-yard box.”
But what brought it on?
“I think I was too tired to take a touch!” he jokes. “If I wasn’t I’d have probably let Baz [Barry Bannan] have the ball, because he’s better outside the box than me. But I managed to get a good connection on it.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t [watched it back a few times]. The days after that I was getting sent angles from different people. It was a nice one to watch back.”
Greenwood: I’ve learned from my red card
It was a bad tackle. Sam Greenwood acknowledges that. A late lunge, and he was dismissed in Preston’s clash at fierce rivals Blackburn.
The important thing, at 22, is he has taken it as a lesson. And it’s a mistake he won’t repeat.
“I was just hungry for the ball, and it’s in me to go and get it, he says. “I was a bit late and it was a bit of a lunge.
“But it’s gone now, and it’s a good thing really. Because I know to take my time in those situations now.
“It was a big learning curve for me. And since I’ve come back I’ve hit the ground running. I need to keep my form now.”
He is not wrong about that. Since returning from suspension, he has scored four times in seven games for Preston.
Fellows: The Baggies boy raised by a Blue
Tom Fellows is a hero at The Hawthorns, but he grew up with a dad who would occasionally take him to St Andrew’s… but only under specific circumstances!
“We’d go now and again, but only when we got a couple of freebies,” the West Brom winger says with a laugh. “So it wouldn’t be very often.”
It was, however, his dad who taught him about the magic of the Championship.
“He’s followed Birmingham a lot and he always says the Championship is the best league in the world because it’s so unpredictable,” Fellows adds.
“You can pick six teams and often a good four or five of them might not even be top six at the end of the season. It’s relentless and everyone is so competitive. It’s fun to be a part of.”
Despite the fun, Fellows smiles as he says he still wants to get out of it.
“I know it’s the best league in the world, but we do want to leave it and go to the Premier League!”
Apter: I still watch Grealish & Coutinho to help my game
Blackpool winger Rob Apter says he watches clips of Premier League stars in his spare time as he looks for an edge in his development as a player.
The 21-year-old – who joined the Tangerines in 2020 – has become a regular under Steve Bruce after spending the past three seasons out on loan at Bamber Bridge, Chester, Scunthorpe and Tranmere.
He has one goal and three assists in 17 games in all competitions so far this term.
“You look at the players in the Premier League and the Champions League, the top players when you’re young,” he says.
“As a kid, there was always Messi, but he’s just silly, isn’t he?! I’d probably try and play off the way Jack Grealish plays and the way he dribbles with the ball or – because I’m a Liverpool fan – how Philippe Coutinho played back in the day.
“I always used to watch him when he was at Liverpool then go out and practice little skills that players like him did.
“Sometimes, I might just go on YouTube and see what other players can do and what I can bring into my game. I think it’s helpful because, when I see their jinks and turns, when I’m one-v-one with my man, it helps me because it automatically comes into my brain.
“As a young player coming through, you want to play as high a level as you can. I’ve got confidence in myself to play at the highest level and that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment.”
By Dan Long
League One: Fixtures | Highlights | Table
From warehouse work to Walsall
When Jamie Jellis dropped out of football in 2020 it could really have gone any way, especially in the midst of the pandemic.
But he knuckled down and went to work – literally and metaphorically. He switched to the part-time game and fought his way back.
“It was hard dropping out of football at the age of like 19 or 20,” he admits. “It was during Covid as well so everyone was scrambling around.
“For me it was just about getting my head down and finding a job, and doing the side of life I hadn’t experienced before. I had to stay mentally strong and just believe I could get that opportunity to climb the pyramid again.”
He certainly has done that since joining Walsall from non-league Tamworth at the start of the year. An injury initially held him back, but this season he has been brilliant for a side flying high in the promotion race.
He never takes any of it for granted, and has his uncle to thank.
“I had so many jobs,” he continues. “I started off in warehouses, then went into bricklaying with one of my brother’s friends, which was so tough to balance with training.
“Then I went to work with my uncle in his air-compressor business. He was a massive help because he allowed me to be flexible with my hours so I could get to training and try to better myself.”
Tuesday night’s 18 EFL games live on Sky Sports+
All 7.45pm kick-off unless stated