As the Football League calendar heads into the busy festive period ahead of the January transfer window, there’s still plenty of football to be played between now and the New Year.

With no international break for many teams in League One, the campaign continues for Barnsley.

Their battle for an immediate return to the Championship resumes once more when they travel to Accrington Stanley this weekend.

The Tykes currently sit fourth in the standings, just seven points off Portsmouth atop the summit of the table.

It has been a mightily impressive start for the League One outfit this term with former Hannover 96 head coach Daniel Stendel taking over the relegated side in the summer.

Despite only being in Yorkshire for five months, his coaching methods have reaped rewards, and his style of play has been one of the main talking points within the third tier.

Having been relatively successful so soon in his role at Barnsley, it would be no great surprise should he be linked with jobs further up the footballing pyramid.

The inevitable sacking season is fast approaching as the busiest time of the year draws closer with clubs struggling up and down the land keeping an eye out for potential managerial changes.

With that said, here are three potential replacements for Stendel, if he’s poached from Oakwell.

The Forest Green Rovers manager saved the League Two side from relegation last season, and this term has them just one point from the play-offs.

It has been some turn around for the manager who was under fire last year before masterminding a fantastic run of form.

Still regarded as a talented young manager, the Green Devils’ boss could well be given a chance by League One Barnsley should their current head coach be poached by a side higher up the footballing pyramid.

He currently has a 40.6 win percentage as the Forest Green boss.

Sacked from Leeds after a poor post-Christmas run of form last season, he would seamlessly be able to take over form Daniel Stendel.

With the formation he likes to use, and how he wants his team to operate on the pitch, it's a move that makes sense.

Before the dip in form, Leeds were nine matches unbeaten at the start of the previous campaign, and everything was going well for Thomas Christiansen.

And given the chance to resurrect his managerial career, he could be a good fit for the Tykes.

They say never go back, and the split between the two was acrimonious, but Paul Heckingbottom has unfinished business at Oakwell.

Should Daniel Stendel leave his post as Barnsley boss, there is no better replacement than the former Tykes man to come back in and finish what he started.

Heckingbottom got the League One side out of the third tier last time he was in charge and could well do so again should Stendel be poached by a club higher up the food chain.