We are past the halfway stage in the season and the top two teams at Xmas usually go up…as they say.

Slow news day today, the calm before the storm of a vital six-pointer against Ipswich. There were two Championship games though, and Hull missed the chance to temporarily move three points behind Leeds, losing at Bristol City, while Boxing Day opponents Preston continued their slide into the lower reaches of the division with a fifth defeat in their last seven. 

It was another short trip across the Pennines for a lunchtime kickoff, courtesy of Sky, with Leeds United in the pink kit again for this Boxing Day fixture.

It is still Xmas Day and I am writing a preview. I must be mad but then again there will not be much time on the morning of Boxing Day with family commitments and a 12.30 kick off for Leeds United at Preston North End

It was an unchanged starting 11 for Leeds and the pundits on Sky saw no reason for Ipswich to play anything other than their normal game, having done amazingly well after coming up from League One and being ten points clear of 3rd placed Leeds United

Having beaten Ipswich 4-3 at the end of August, Leeds now face the Championship newcomers at Elland Road tomorrow in the return fixture.

Daniel Farke gave a nice presser in the wake of the Sunderland defeat, responding to claims that he should have freshened up the team by jovially pointing to the criticism he received for freshening up the team when losing to Stoke. Man's got a point.

The matches are coming thick and fast at the moment and Coventry City will be the third home game in 18 days, with another next Saturday, the big one…Ipswich at home. That game will be the exact halfway point in the season after 23 games.

As expected Leeds were unchanged again on a mild and sunny winter’s afternoon with conditions perfect and another capacity crowd of 36,700.