North East | Middlesbrough looking to remain unbeaten in Championship

Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion

Middlesbrough play host to West Brom, looking to strengthen their hold of first position in the table. The away side have the opportunity to move level on points with the leaders.

Author | Peter Grainger

Stadium | Riverside Stadium

A recent home match against Sheffield United

A fantastic start to the season for Rob Edwards

When Middlesbrough were beaten 4-0 by Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup, Rob Edwards’s second game in charge, it raised understandable questions about what impact the new head coach would have in the North East.

Since then, however, Edwards has overseen a run of three wins and a draw that has lifted Boro to the top of the Championship by a single point.

Impressive away victories at Millwall (3-0) and Norwich City (2-1) helped settle nerves, before a 1-0 win over Sheffield United at the Riverside Stadium deepened the visitors’ early-season woes.

Their only recent slip came in the first match back after the September international break. A 2-2 draw at Preston North End may have cost two points, but Boro twice came from behind, equalising late on through goals in the 72nd and 92nd minutes. It felt less like a setback and more like further proof of the resilience now shaping Edwards’s side as they set their sights on promotion.

Boro also boasts the joint-best defensive record in the division, having conceded only three goals. At the other end, seven different players have already found the net, with Tommy Conway the only man to score more than once.

West Brom looking to make a statement

West Brom v Portsmouth

Goals have not come easily for West Brom under Ryan Mason, with half of their six Championship strikes arriving in a single match against a Wrexham side that continue to give up chances at will.

Even so, Mason will be satisfied with 10 points from the opening five games, which has placed the Baggies fifth in the table going into this fixture.

The major setback came last weekend when Derby County left The Hawthorns with a 1-0 victory, their second success over West Brom this season after knocking them out of the EFL Cup in August.

Form on home soil has been inconsistent, with just four points and two goals from three league matches. Away from the West Midlands, though, the picture has been far brighter. Two weeks on from their 3-2 win at Wrexham, Mason’s side produced a gritty performance at Stoke City, who have won all their other league fixtures this season, to secure a 1-0 victory.