Something for the weekend? Five Yorkshire games to get your teeth into

The penultimate Saturday of the season assumes seismic importance for the South Yorkshire trio of Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley, plus Bradford City.

While the stakes aren’t as high for some others, there’s the not inconsiderable matter of pride at stake and a good show in their final home games of the season for Leeds United and Rotherham United, who will be seeking to send home supporters away for the summer on the back of morale-boosting wins.

Here are five weekend crackers.

1: Birmingham City v Middlesbrough

Boro get the ball rolling at St Andrew’s - not a particularly happy hunting ground - on Friday and the stakes couldn’t be higher at the top of the Championship.

Win and the Teessiders pile the pressure on Burnley and Brighton, who are not in action until Bank Holiday Monday. Draw and they have to sit back and wait to see what the damage is by the close of play 72 hours later. Lose and Boro could face a mountain to climb on the last day at home to, er, Brighton.

Boro certainly won’t be found wanting on the support stakes, with 4,900 to pack out the Railway End at Birmingham City. The home of the Blues isn’t a favoured one for Boro, where they have won just once since 1978, in 18 visits there. But Boro are afforded some pre-match hope, they have won at similar bogey grounds such as Hillsborough, the City Ground and Portman Road this season.

2: Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City

Guaranteed to finish in their highest league position for 16 years, they may be, but the Owls are only interested in points on Saturday and not milestone achievements. They require a point against the chasing side immediately below them in seventh-placed Cardiff to nail down play-off qualification with a game left and avoid a final-day nerve-shredder at Molineux.

Not that nerves won’t be abound at Hillsborough against the Bluebirds, four points behind the Owls with two games left, with the hosts having a vastly superior goals difference.

It will be tense afternoon for the Owls, who must keep calm and composed and show their mettle - as they certainly must in the edgy arena of play-off football too.

The Owls’ strong home form and defensive resilience should provide solace and they have enough nous and experience to see the job through.

3: Barnsley v Colchester United

If, at Christmas, someone had said that Barnsley could potentially clinch a top-six spot in their penultimate game of the season, then the men in white coats would have quickly appeared on the scene.

The Reds’ run since has been the stuff of legend, with Paul Heckingbottom having taken on the baton effortlessly from Lee Johnson. The Oakwell outfit’s consistency has been admirable and they look a well-balanced side across the pitch, with threat up front, quality in midfield and resilience at the back.

Colchester arrive in South Yorkshire without a manager and consigned to the football basement next season. A word of warning, however. They stunned another Yorkshire high-flier in Bradford City on their home patch on March 1.

4: Crewe Alexandra v Doncaster Rovers

Rovers have left their bid for safety late, possibly too late.

But you live in the moment and better late than never.

Darren Ferguson’s side just about have an inkling of hope after Saturday’s superb win over Coventry as they again showed the form which makes a total mockery of their current predicament.

Here is the maths. With two games left, second-from-bottom Rovers are three points adrift of Fleetwood and five behind Shrewsbury, with the Shrews’ midweek defeat at neighbours Walsall being a welcome development.

Victory at the weekend at relegated basement club Crewe is simply a must. The Alex have won just once in their past 24 games, once so far in 2016 and once at home since November 28.

5: Southend United v Bradford City

Bradford are almost there after a relieving and thoroughly welcome 4-0 blitzing of Walsall, a result which effectively ended their hopes of automatic promotion.

It has provided a shot in the arm ahead of the Bantams’ final away-day of the season at Southend, which would have looked a whole lot more unpalatable than it already is if they had registered a dodgy result last weekend.

City are five points clear of seventh-placed Gillingham and they will certainly have an eye on developments at Burton where the Gills are playing.

But Phil Parkinson will be minding his own business on an afternoon when their play-off place can be confirmed. Most definitely with a win, very possibly with a draw.