A new Championship season is upon us and it is fair to say that the first month of 2021/22 has not disappointed.
Football is nothing without fans and the return of supporters to stadiums has increased the entertainment, emotion, and drama of the EFL tenfold.
It has also helped players raise their game over the opening weeks of the new campaign and six of the top performers have forced their way onto the FLW Fans’ Championship Player of the Month award shortlist for August.
Before you cast your vote, we’ve outlined exactly why the six have been nominated.
All stats courtesy of Whoscored.
The Defenders
Nominees: Rob Dickie, Aden Flint
Dickie’s first season in the Championship was impressive enough but the defender has taken things to new heights in the opening weeks of 2021/22.
Solid defensively, commanding at the back, and brilliant with the ball at his feet, the 24-year-old has showcased all the characteristics of a modern centre-back for the R’s this term and helped his side make an unbeaten start to the new season.
He’s also proven a real threat to the opposition goal, both inside and outside the box, scoring two goals in the Championship and two in the EFL Cup – including two long-range thunderbolts.
If we’re talking about goalscoring centre-backs, then it is impossible to look past Flint, who is the Championship’s joint-top scorer with four goals from five games so far this season.
The towering defender has rediscovered the lethal form in front of goal he showed over numerous seasons for Bristol City and in doing so has helped their Severnside rivals Cardiff make a solid start to the season.
Flint has been dominant defensively as well, winning more aerial duels than any other player in the Championship so far (50).
The Midfielders
Nominees: Fabio Carvalho, Alex Mowatt
What a month August has been for Carvalho, with the 18-year-old making his first Championship start on the eighth and then becoming a mainstay in Marco Silva’s starting XI.
The attacking midfielder’s dynamic running, fast feet, and excellent quality in the final third have made him a constant threat – and one that opposition sides have struggled to deal with.
By scoring three times and adding one assist, Carvalho has helped Fulham go top of the table at the end of August. The teenager is quite some talent.
New Baggies boss Valerien Ismael brought Mowatt across with him from Barnsley in the summer and he’s instantly become a key player in the centre of the park.
The all-action midfielder embodies the intensity and tenacity with which Ismael has got Albion playing, while his influence has been clear to see both in and out of possession.
Mowatt has made 14 tackles so far this season, as well as scoring two goals and providing an assist, with his contributions key to their near-flawless start.
The Forward
Nominees: Sorba Thomas, Andi Weimann
Huddersfield have shocked many with their electric start to the new campaign, with Carlos Corberan’s men currently fourth with 10 points from their five games this month.
Thomas only joined from non-league side Boreham Wood back in January but he’s thriving in the Championship right now and has fast become a key attacking weapon for the Terriers.
No player has more than the 22-year-old’s four assists this term, while he’s also found the net once himself.
Bristol City desperately missed Weimann last term and back fit and firing, he’s proven absolutely dynamite for them in August.
The Austrian forward is the Championship’s joint-top scorer with four in five games, having recently bagged an impressive brace in the Severnside derby.
Weimann’s constant energy makes him such a nuisance for opposition defenders and it’s no surprise that with him back in the side, the Robins seem to be rediscovering their mojo.