Something for the weekend? Five Yorkshire fixtures to keep an eye on

It is the quintessence of a bog-standard Saturday, with none of the build-up to the previous two weekends when a juicy home derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United took centre stage - preceded by some big FA Cup third-round dates involving Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers. Not forgetting Evans v Redfearn part two.

But despite the lack of a marquee game or two, it is the time of the season - deep into January - which says a lot about the well-being of sides. A time for style over substance and getting the job done to aid causes at both ends of the table.

Here’s five games that assume more than a semblance of importance for Yorkshire sides.

1: Leeds United - finishing off another exacting week with three points and a performance would be nice ...

Another week and more developments that long-suffering Whites fans could have done without. Losing a derby - check, more shenanigans with a high-profile fixture being changed at the behest of TV - check and the loss of a leading player - check.

The Whites faithful will stoically head to Elland Road, with hope and expectation not being particularly high.

In town are Bristol City who, despite their narrow FA Cup exit to West Brom in the week, are still entitled to bask in the glow of beating leaders Middlesbrough last weekend.

Character and attitude are often clichés in football - but they need to come to the fore from those in white jerseys on Saturday, with the season in danger of stagnating into rank averageness if a result or two is not secured in the next few weeks.

2: Hull City. Away improvement now a necessity ‘After the Lord Mayor’s Show.’

Hull’s Championship home prowess is there for all to see. Fourteen games, ten wins, three draws, one loss - no defeats since the end of November - an outstanding 35 points from a possible 42.

The Tigers’ form on their travels is nowhere near as eye-catching and it could prove the crux as to whether Steve Bruce’s side are promoted or not.

As it stands, Hull - who have yet to visit Boro, Burnley and Derby - have accrued 18 points on the road, just over half of their points tally at home.

That needs to improve, with a triple-header of league away games at, first, Fulham on Saturday followed by the East Lancashire duo of Burnley and Blackburn providing plenty of opportunity to do that. If Hull show their worth, they could emerge as THE team to beat in the promotion stakes.

3: Sheffield Wednesday. Now ensconced in the Championship play-off zone. But staying there is the hard part.

After several months of flirting with the top six, the Owls got over the line thanks to last weekend’s 2-0 derby win over Leeds, which ended a pretty sweet week as far as Carlos Carvalhal’s side were concerned.

Now, the dynamic has changed for the Owls.

Instead of being the ‘outsiders’ as Carvalhal put it and doing the chasing, Wednesday will now represent the quarry that the likes of Ipswich and Birmingham are endeavouring to catch.

The Owls are top of the current Championship form guide along with Boro. If they are to truly harden their promotion credentials, that statistic needs to continue - particularly on their travels where there is still room for improvement.

4: Bradford City. Cups no longer a distraction - a 22-game season starts now. Mission: League One play-offs.

Cups have proved a distraction - although mainly of the welcome variety for the Bantams in recent seasons.

But a concentration in focus on league affairs is now fully afforded to Phil Parkinson’s troops after their penalty shoot-out exit to Bury in Tuesday night’s FA Cup third-round replay.

City have been obdurate, organised and determined for significant parts of this term in the league - but some indifferent recent form on the road is becoming a concern after three league defeats in their last four outings, incorporating a couple of disappointing performances along the way.

A trip to Vale Park in January is not for the faint-hearted. But victory and a reaction to Tuesday would say a lot about City, who have scored just three goals in their past six outings in all competitions.

5: York City. An increasingly desperate campaign somehow needs a boost.

The Minstermen’s weekend opponents Carlisle United know plenty about horrendous recent times after seeing their Brunton Park home flooded amid the terrible recent floods that beset Cumbria and forced the Blues away from their home.

A shaft of light this week saw the Cumbrians claim a lucrative home fourth-round tie with Everton - which few in the footballing world would begrudge them - with a return to football in the border city adding to the sense of sudden positivity following successive game at temporary ‘homes’ of Deepdale, Ewood Park and Bloomfield Road

How York could do with a crumb or two of hope with a raft of new signings having thus far failed to be a precursor to anything resembling an upturn, with the clock starting to seriously chime in terms of the club’s tenure in the Football League.

York have picked up seven away points from a possible 39 this season with their sole three points coming at Newport on September 5. Relegation form, quite simply.