Rangers were the big weekend winners as Falkirk’s 1-1 draw with Hibernian extended their lead at the top to five points but could this week’s transfer activity prove a turning point in the race for the Championship crown?

Anthony Stokes and Kevin Thomson will return to Leith while Rangers boss Mark Warburton admitted his side are close to securing the services of two players as both clubs fight it out with the Bairns for Premiership promotion.

Stokes’ decision to reject Premiership pair Inverness CT and Dundee United and join Hibs appears a real sign of intent with Alan Stubbs desperate to secure reliable support to 17-goal forward Jason Cummings.

Dominique Malonga has only added four goals and while James Keatings has netted seven times this term, Hibernian appeared a much more balanced outfit when he was replaced by Liam Henderson during Sunday’s draw at the Falkirk Stadium.

Republic of Ireland international Stokes’ ability on the Scottish scene is in little doubt. The 27-year-old hit 21 goals in 2013/14 and while that tally dropped to eight last term, he was amongst the league’s top creators with seven assists.

Stokes’ transition into Hibernian’s line up should be aided by his existing relationship with talented midfield pair Liam Henderson and Dylan McGeouch.

McGeouch was employed in a holding midfield for part of the clash with Falkirk and while that role appears tailor-made for new arrival Thomson it would allow the former Celtic player to fight for a more attacking role and keep competition for places high at the sharp end of the team.

While just 31, Thomson will provide valuable experience to Hibernian’s youthful midfield and help them to close out tough matches as the season enters a crucial stage.

Over at Ibrox the seemingly imminent arrivals of Michael O’Halloran and Toumani Diagouraga will help plug some of the remaining gaps in the league leaders’ squad.

With Nathan Oduwa returning to Spurs, the direct pace offered by Saints ace O’Halloran should allow Rangers to counter attack quickly when required. Able to play out wide or centrally, the 25-year-old should ease some of the goal-scoring burden from Martyn Waghorn and allow Warburton to manage Kenny Miller’s minutes on the field more effectively.

Amid claims of a soft centre at the heart of this Rangers side, Brentford midfielder Diagouraga will allow Andy Halliday and Jason Holt to concentrate on the attacking side of their game rather than screening midfield runners towards their own goal.

By retaining the services of Peter Houston and Danny Rogers as well as Connor McGrandles’ return on loan from Norwich, Falkirk have also strengthened and shown they can’t be discounted.

With all three contenders bolstering their playing pool, the remaining two weeks allows time for further fine tuning to set up a thrilling second half to what has already been an enthralling campaign.

The winners of the January window are likely to be the same ones lifting the Championship title come May.

As Celtic arrived in Dundee ahead of what turned out to be a routine win against United, two players in the squad may have had cause to reflect on events twelve months previously.

For Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong, a look back at the year since they made the move from Tannadice to Celtic Park may provoke different emotions.

Saturday marked a year to the day Mackay-Steven signed a pre-contract with Celtic and after lengthy negotiations between the clubs, he and Armstrong made permanent moves on deadline day.

United's troubles stem far deeper than the duo's departure but there's little doubt their sales was a key moment in their lurch from potential to problematic.

When it comes to the impact the moves have had on the individual players, however, the pair, who themselves joke about being inseparable, can finally be split.

Armstrong has managed to work his way into the Celtic starting XI and retain his place in what has become an extremely competitive position at the club.

In 2013/14, Armstrong played almost 2,700 minutes and maintained this level of consistency last term and beyond. He’s already appeared in 26 out of a possible 36 matches for Celtic this season despite injuries disrupting his season. When he's fit, he plays.

His form has caught the eye of Scotland boss Gordon Strachan resulting in a first call-up in two years for September's double-header only for a back injury to deny him his first senior cap.

Being able to slot into Celtic’s attacking three behind the striker has been pivotal for Armstrong, and speaks volumes for how much Ronny Deila rates him. He’s secured a place alongside last season’s PFA Player of the Year, Stefan Johansen, and long-serving fans’ favourite Kris Commons.

Mackay-Steven’s fortunes have not moved in tandem with his friend's. The energetic attacker arrived at Parkhead with the potential to become a fan's favourite, trickery and fun being essential parts of his game but the wide man now finds himself on the periphery.

During his last full season at United he played over 2500 minutes and kept that up in the first half of the 2014/15 campaign, making 21 out of a possible 23 league appearances. Starting 10 games from 16 for Celtic saw Mackay-Steven impress the Parkhead faithful but he's fallen out of favour this term, playing just 740 minutes, half of what he had achieved at United last season.

James Forrest and Tom Rogic have returned from injuries while the arrivals of Scott Allan and Ryan Christie have pushed the player further down the pecking order, resulting in him failing to even make the bench for Friday's Tannadice win.

Following recent appearances for Celtic's development squad, speculation persists that he may follow Anthony Stokes out the door on loan in this transfer window.

It’s a crucial few months for the 25-year old as his involvement at international level is also in jeopardy. A part of Gordon Strachan's side at the start of the Euro 2016 campaign any hopes of a recall look unlikely as the national team prepare for the start of World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

Partick Thistle may be interested if they fail to secure Chris Erskine before the summer while St Johnstone may need a replacement for Michael O’Halloran if he leaves this month. United could do worse than welcome him back for a short spell.

Fans may not initially be happy considering the nature of his departure but his creative ability could be the spark Mixu Paatelainen’s side need to have any glimmer of hope to avoid the drop.

While the January window is open it's only natural that the focus is on players who could be making moves before the transfer deadline passes.

For many more players, the turn of the year instead turns attention to contracts and the likelihood that many will be moving at the end of the season when their current deals expire.

Twenty years on from the Bosman ruling, there's no doubt that players have more rights than they previously did and, at the very top of the game, stars are raking in millions as a result of their talent.

In Scotland, where budgets are restricted, the story is somewhat different. Few clubs can take the risk of long-term expensive deals and financial constraints dictate squad size and personnel from season to season.

This year, that means 125 players are currently counting down the last six months of their contracts and few are doing so because they want to exercise their right to speak to multiple clubs and negotiate their way to a megabucks deal.

There's little chance that most of the players on the list will fear "the scrapheap" and plenty will agree new contracts before the season ends but nevertheless it's an important time for players to show their best form.

This weekend there were 25 goals scored in the Premiership. Nine of them came from players who don't know what shirt they'll be wearing next season.