The Championship season is in full swing now and October brought more of the entertainment and high drama that we’ve come to expect from England’s second tier.
The race for the top two and the play-offs are starting to heat up, while supporters of some clubs will already be starting to worry about the prospect of relegation.
There were some phenomenal perfomers last month as well, with six standout players earning a place on the six-strong shortlist for the FLW Fans’ Championship Player of the Month award.
Before you cast your vote, we’ve outlined the credentials of all six.
All stats courtesy of Whoscored.
The Defenders
Nominees: Sol Bamba, Max Lowe
Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough side got their play-off challenge back on track by winning three of their five Championship games in October, with Sol Bamba proving a colossus in defence.
The centre-back made a mammoth 27 clearances as he helped Boro keep three clean sheets last month, marshalling the backline and proving his importance to the Riverside faithful.
Nottingham Forest’s resurgence under Steve Cooper continued in October and the performances of summer arrival Max Lowe have been a key factor.
The left wing-back has been an asset defensively, making 15 tackles, and added an assist as he proved himself a real weapon going forward as well.
The Midfielders
Nominee: Ryan Christie, Glen Rea
Bournemouth were in flawless form in October – winning all five of their games as they opened up a five-point gap at the top of the Championship – and the brilliance of midfield Ryan Christie was clear for all to see.
Christie joined from Celtic in the summer and has already become a key player for Scott Parker both in and out of possession – providing three assists and nine key passes last month.
There were plenty of impressive performers in Nathan Jones side as Luton Town turned their fortunes around last month but Glen Rea was the standout player for the Hatters.
Rea marshalled the midfielder and helped make Luton very hard to beat, with Jones’ team keeping three clean sheets and conceding just four goals in October.
The Forwards
Nominees: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Jerry Yates
Is there a better player in the second tier right now? Aleksandar Mitrovic is in frankly frightening form and for the second month in a row, has earned a place on the FLW Fans’ Championship Player of the Month shortlist.
The Fulham forward dominated Championship defences throughout October, scoring eight goals from his 21 shots as he helped Marco Silva’s side take 12 points from a possible 15.
Blackpool have been one of the Championship’s surprise packages this season and their four wins in five matches in October was thanks in no small part to Jerry Yates’ four goals and an assist.
In the absence of Shane Lavery, Yates has rediscovered the form that saw him fire the Tangerines to promotion in League One last term.