Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

Cardiff have won their past six matches at home in League One, their best run in the league at Cardiff City Stadium since Neil Warnock’s 2018 vintage were on their way to Premier League promotion.

That team strung seven straight home wins together in the Championship, and the current Bluebirds could match that sequence if they beat League One promotion rivals Stevenage tonight.

Image source, Shutterstock

Big one this as League One leaders Cardiff host the team they knocked off the top spot six games ago, Stevenage.

City won 1-0 at Boro in their first-ever meeting on 9 December, and have taken 18 points from a possible 21 to sit three points clear of second-placed Lincoln.

Cardiff have won six straight at home, scoring 17 goals, but have lost on the past two occasions when they have finished a year at home, whereas Stevenage have ended the past three years with a three-goal win.

Alex Revell's men have lost ground in the table, sitting eight points back in fifth after Friday's stalemate at Wimbledon, but the defeat by Cardiff was their only loss in seven games during which they have conceded only four goals.

Teenage Bluebirds defender Dylan Lawlor teed-up the only goal for Alex Robertson in the win over Exeter on Friday and has been attracting the attention of some of Europe's elite, including Bayern Munich - not that Brian Barry-Murphy wants him going anywhere just yet.

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In-form Lincoln will aim to keep the pressure on at the top of League One as they head to Oakwell.

The Imps have taken 13 points from a possible 15 and have beaten Cardiff and Stockport 2-1 in their past two games to sit three points behind the Bluebirds at the summit.

Barnsley's 3-2 defeat at home by Mansfield on Saturday, having been 2-0 up early on, was a third defeat in four as they slipped off the play-off pace.

The Tykes also have a poor recent record against Lincoln, losing five of the past six at Oakwell, though they did win 4-3 in this fixture last season.

It's a game which usually means goals, there have been 26 scored across the past six meetings, so better buckle up for this one...

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Bolton know a win over Mansfield tonight could take them into third, if lowly Port Vale spring a shock against Bradford.

Steven Schumacher's side won 1-0 when these sides met in Nottinghamshire earlier this month, with Jordi Osei-Tutu scoring the winner after Rhys Oates was sent off after just 12 minutes for Mansfield.

Josh Sheehan dramatic last-gasp winner made it a Boxing Day to remember for the Trotters and they will want to carry that momentum into 2026 with another three points here.

Mansfield also came out on top on Friday, coming from two goals down to edge out Barnsley in a five-goal thriller thanks to Aaron Lewis' late strike.

More drama tonight please, lads.

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In a division where six points separate 9th from 23rd, the games are all big, and this one is no different.

The Pilgrims' three-game winning streak was brought to a shuddering halt on Boxing Day with a controversial red card for Joe Ralls and three goals in the six minutes thereafter ensuring a 4-1 away win for Reading which left Tom Cleverley's side a point above the relegation zone.

Wycombe were on the end of a 4-0 thumping at Luton on the same day and have won just once in five games, sitting 10th, though 20th-placed Argyle could go level on points with Michael Duff's men with a win tonight, and avenge their FA Cup first-round defeat into the bargain.

The Chairboys don't tend to end the year well, either. They have lost their final game in six of the past eight years, four of those on the road.

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League One strugglers Port Vale sacked manager Darren Moore in the wake of Friday's thrashing by Huddersfield which left them seven points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Vale's 5-0 defeat by the Terriers was their seventh in their past nine league games and left them 10 points from safety after 21 matches.

The Valiants have not won a league game since beating Barnsley at Oakwell on 27 September - 12 matches ago.

First-team coach Jamie Smith will take charge of the team for their trip to Bradford tonight, with the third-placed Bantams seeking to close a four-point gap to leaders Cardiff.

Click here for more on Moore's departure.

Image source, Opta/Shutterstock

Barring a big goal difference swing Cardiff will finish the year top of the table no matter their result against Stevenage tonight, but the Bluebirds have loftier ambitions than that.

Closest challengers Lincoln head to inconsistent Barnsley seeking to keep the pressure on, while Bradford host basement boys Port Vale aiming to capitalise on any slip-ups above them.

Bolton and Stockport are at home to struggling Mansfield and Doncaster respectively, with play-off chasing Huddersfield and Luton aiming to continue their goalscoring form against Northampton and Leyton Orient.

If you thought the top half was tight, just look at the carnage at the foot of the table.

Managerless Vale will start and end the night rock-bottom, but the nine places above them could well change hands, with just five points separating second-bottom Doncaster from Burton in 15th.

Our sole early kick-off is under way at Rodney Parade as Newport, winless in eight, go in search of the two-goal victory they need to stand any chance of not being the EFL's bottom side going into 2026.

One win in seven has seen the Railwaymen fall off the tracks in pursuit of a play-off place, but a win tonight could get them back within three points of the top-seven on New Year's Day.

BBC Local Radio

Unfortunately due to broadcasting rights we cannot bring you live radio coverage of tonight's action on this page.

If you live in the area, though, you can tune into your BBC Local Radio station to listen to their coverage of your team's final fixture of 2025.

Rest assured we'll be your ears and will keep across the airwaves to bring you a taste of the radio coverage right here on the page throughout the night.

Here we are then, the final game of 2025... how has it been for you and your team? And what does 2026 have in store?

Cardiff and Walsall fans in particular, we want to hear from you... you've been on a rollercoaster of emotion in the past 12 months, do you look back at them with any fondness, or will that all depend on what happens next May?

If you're all talked out from the festive period you can give the vocal chords a rest and put those digits to work tonight.

It's never been easier to join the conversation, just click the shiny yellow Get Involved button on the page to have your say.

Image source, Rex Features

Leaders Walsall host Oldham, having now gone eight games unbeaten in all competitions after getting past Crewe on Boxing Day.

Bromley, who start the night second after four wins in a row, are at Crawley, having come from two down to win 3-2 at Bristol Rovers three days ago.

And Swindon, who complete the top three, travel to Cheltenham for a West Country derby.

At the bottom, Newport host Crewe, second-from-bottom Harrogate travel to Accrington, and Bristol Rovers, third-bottom, are at home to Barnet.

Image source, Rex Features

The game of the day in League Two comes from Milton Keynes as the home side, fourth in the table, take on Notts County, who start the day sixth.

The sides are separated by just a point with 11 wins apiece so far this season.

Paul Warne's side are looking for a third win on the spin after hammering Harrogate 4-0 and then edging past Swindon 1-0 on Boxing Day.

In contrast, Notts County are winless in two after a 0-0 draw at home to Walsall and then being turned over 2-0 up at Chesterfield three days ago.

Both sides could climb into the top three tonight but it’s so congested at the top of the table with only five points separating the top seven.

Image source, Opta/Shutterstock

It has been a rollercoaster 2025 for Walsall, to say the least, but Mat Sadler's men are aiming to finish it on a high.

Yes, the fact they had a 12-point lead at the top of this division 11 months ago and managed to not go up still rankles, but the Saddlers are seeking to make amends this time around.

Ahead of the visit of Oldham, Walsall hold a one-point lead over Bromley, who visit lowly Crawley after battling back to win 3-2 at Bristol Rovers on Boxing Day, while Swindon and Notts County lost ground as MK Dons and Chesterfield gained it.

Just one point separates the play-off pack in this crazy division, while it's nearly as tight at the foot of the EFL as three teams are within striking distance of second-bottom Harrogate if they can end their winless run against Accrington.

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With just one game to go before 2025 is wrapped up, fans up and down football land will be starting to wonder which division they will be in come next season.

Some, like Coventry and maybe Cardiff, will be confident the omens look good, yet for Sheffield Wednesday and maybe Port Vale or Newport County they are, let us say, less bright.

But fear not stragglers and take stock leaders because football has a habit of keeping you on your toes just when you are reaching for the slippers.

So as we prepare to bid farewell to the first half of the season, it is with one incontestable fact echoing, and that is that nothing, apart from the year itself, is done and dusted yet.

Click here for five things to look out for across the EFL tonight.

• Newport v Crewe (19:30 GMT)
• Accrington v Harrogate
• Bristol Rovers v Barnet
• Cheltenham v Swindon
• Chesterfield v Cambridge United
• Crawley v Bromley
• Gillingham v Colchester
• Grimsby v Shrewsbury
• Milton Keynes Dons v Notts County
• Salford v Fleetwood
• Tranmere v Barrow
• Walsall v Oldham

• AFC Wimbledon v Exeter
• Barnsley v Lincoln City
• Blackpool v Rotherham
• Bolton v Mansfield
• Bradford v Port Vale
• Burton v Wigan
• Cardiff v Stevenage
• Huddersfield v Northampton
• Luton v Leyton Orient
• Peterborough v Reading
• Plymouth v Wycombe
• Stockport v Doncaster

Image source, Shutterstock

Good evening.

It's Monday, 29 December, for those who have lost track, and, yes, wonderfully, there is a full programme of 24 games coming up for you in the third and fourth tiers.

Think of this as the bonus Saturday afternoon you never got, due to the full programme of matches on Boxing Day (Friday, 76 hours ago, do keep up...).

We have fascinating title chases, intriguing promotion races, and monumental relegation scraps in both League One and Two, and plenty to get through - so grab what's left of the Christmas chocolates, pour yourself a slug of that nice new bottle, and let's dive in...