Just like riding a bike - five things to watch in the EFL

"You stay upright and move forward so long as you keep up the momentum."

Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon might not have been talking specifically about the English Football League when he produced that quote, but he's right, success, or failure, in the EFL is just like riding a bike.

Plenty of teams across the 72 have already found their rhythm in the early stages of this campaign but others are seemingly in desperate need of stabilisers.

We have picked out five things to look out for in this weekend's fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two, including some fascinating reunions with former clubs for some coaches.

West Brom were wobbling all over the place when James Morrison hopped into the saddle in interim charge at The Hawthorns in February.

Albion were second-bottom of the Championship on 11 March but a 10-match unbeaten streak kept them up and, six games into the new season, the Baggies are top of the league.

Wednesday's 1-0 win at Derby - in which Albion played with 10 men for over an hour to secure just a second win at the Rams in 107 years - showcased their change in momentum. It was a ninth clean sheet in 18 league games under Morrison.

They face a stern test of their credentials as QPR head to the West Midlands on Saturday (12:30 BST).

The Hoops, like Albion, have lost only once this season, with that defeat coming against Middlesbrough, and are two points behind the pace-setters in a congested chasing pack.

Julien Stephan's side took just 11 points from their final 13 matches of last season, losing eight of them to finish in 15th, but a summer overhaul seems to have shifted their momentum, despite a mounting injury list.

Three years can seem a lifetime in football.

At the start of October 2023, John Eustace was Birmingham boss, with his side sixth in the Championship, having guided the turbulent Blues to a 17th-place finish in his first season at St Andrew's.

He was then controversially sacked by City's new American owners to make way for Wayne Rooney.

Eustace enjoyed a successful spell at Blackburn before making the switch to Derby, steering the Rams away from trouble at the end of 2024-25 before making a late run at the play-offs last season.

Wednesday's dismal 1-0 home defeat by 10-man West Brom was a fourth in their opening six games and the natives have become a little restless, despite a troublesome injury list and a failed takeover on the eve of the new campaign.

On Saturday, Eustace welcomes his former club to Pride Park (12:30 BST) with pressure also growing on Chris Davies, who has just started his third campaign in charge at St Andrew's.

Davies took Blues straight back up from League One in record-breaking fashion in his first season at the helm, but expectations have risen, along with the budget, and although they lost for the first time at Norwich on Wednesday, seven points from six matches is an underwhelming return.

A repeat of last season's 1-0 home win for the Rams would make things feel far rosier for Eustace, but far less so for Davies.

While West Brom are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship, one of the sides who fell short in last season's survival battle were Leicester.

The Foxes are now languishing in 18th in League One, with just five points from their opening five games.

They are already seven points behind leaders Sheffield Wednesday, who won just two games in the Championship last season albeit under exceptional circumstances, and lost their last game 4-0 at home against the other side to come down, Oxford United.

The momentum at the King Power is firmly downwards, but it has to change at some point, right?

On Saturday they travel to Stockport (15:00 BST).

When the Foxes were enjoying their finest hour, winning the Premier League in 2015-16, the Hatters finished ninth in National League North - 125 places below.

Five years ago, when Leicester last played in Europe and finished eighth in the Premier League, County were in the National League.

Both clubs are under new stewardship this season, but Jimmy McNulty has Stockport 15 places higher than Russell Martin's men and Hatters fans will be hoping to continue that momentum in the first league meeting between the sides in 18 seasons.

If you're looking into how momentum changes, then Hillsborough at the start of May, is a good place to start.

The announcement of the takeover of Sheffield Wednesday by a US consortium came moments before the Owls picked up their first win in over seven months - a span of 40 games - beating West Brom on the final day of the 2025-26 season.

Wednesday had suffered the earliest ever relegation in EFL history in February, with 13 Championship games remaining, but they have started with a bang this time around.

Four wins in five games has them top of the pile, with an EFL Cup win over Championship Bolton also highlighting how the tide has turned.

They welcome struggling Wigan Athletic on Saturday (15:00 BST).

After ending last season with one point and no goals in their final three games, the momentum has bled into this season too, the Latics have lost four of their five games so far in League One, plus their EFL Cup tie on penalties.

Gary Caldwell's side have failed to score in three of their past four and the 4-0 home drubbing by local rivals Stockport last time out saw them fall to the bottom of the table on goal difference.

It feels like a case of unstoppable force versus movable object unless Wigan can show they are up for the fight.

Always nice to meet up with some old faces, isn't it?

Scott Lindsey has the opportunity to do just that as his old team Swindon head to York City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Lindsey spent two years coaching the Robins' under-18s a decade ago before returning to the club in 2021 as Ben Garner's assistant, then taking the big job himself the following summer after Garner's departure for Charlton.

It lasted just six months, he left in January with promotion-chasing Town sitting outside the play-offs on goal difference, to join Crawley, who were 21st in the same division and he later told the press he felt he never had the backing of Swindon fans.

Lindsey was parachuted in as York boss on the eve of the season after the shock departure of Stuart Maynard and has led the Minstermen to eight points from their opening five games, meaning they could leapfrog second-placed Swindon with a win, while the Robins could go top if they can pick up three points.

Should be interesting.

BBC Sport will have live text coverage of all the weekend's EFL action, starting with West Ham v Wrexham on Friday, throughout Saturday's fixtures and culminating in Sheffield United v Wolves on Sunday (12:00 BST).