Championship returns with Cardiff hosting West Ham
14 rounds into view on Wednesday 4 November, with Middlesbrough top on 28 points and William Lankshear already on 13 goals.
Last played
The Championship pause ends on Wednesday 4 November. Cardiff take on West Ham at 2026-11-04T19:45:00Z, the fixture that carries the division into matchday 14.
The table has been sitting still long enough for the gaps to harden. Middlesbrough lead on 28 points with a goal difference of +13. Behind them it is almost indecently tight: Birmingham on 26 and +13, Stoke on 26 and +5, Swansea on 26 and +5. Three clubs separated by nothing but the order someone typed in.
Southampton sit 6th on 24 points, and their goal difference of +15 is the best in the top six. A team sixth with the healthiest margin in the division — that tells you how little the standings have settled.
The scoring charts are just as bunched. William Lankshear has 13 for Middlesbrough, clear at the top. Then Andri Guðjohnsen with 9 for Blackburn, and a pair on 7: Cyle Larin of Southampton and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham, the latter the obvious reason West Ham arrive with something to defend. Sam Dalby of Bolton has 6.
Before the break, the division signed off with West Brom and Southampton drawing 1-1 on Tuesday 3 November. A single goal each, a single point each, nobody moved much.
So what should we expect from Cardiff against West Ham? Nothing tidy, probably. The division has spent 14 rounds refusing to separate anybody, and one fixture is unlikely to start.
Watch the top of the scoring list instead. If William Lankshear keeps converting at this rate, the gap between first and second in the table may end up looking smaller than the gap between first and second among the forwards.