More goals for Lankshear, home woes for Hammers - Aaron McLean's EFL Takeaways

What the report says

BBC Sport Football’s Aaron McLean used his latest EFL roundup to highlight a strong weekend for Middlesbrough and a difficult home spell for West Ham United. The digest covered results and team trends across the Championship, League One and League Two, with an emphasis on promotion races and clubs trying to build momentum.

At the top of the Championship, Middlesbrough beat Charlton Athletic 3-0 and moved two points clear, helped by another two goals from Will Lankshear. McLean praised the striker’s impact since his summer move from Tottenham and said Boro’s main challenge may be keeping him if they secure promotion. He also pointed to Southampton’s 4-1 win over QPR as evidence that the club is recovering well after last season’s setbacks and the early points deduction, with manager Tonda Eckert and several players drawing approval.

In League One, Luton Town earned a fourth straight league win by defeating Peterborough United 2-0 and climbing to fourth. McLean said the Hatters are in the promotion conversation but still need greater consistency to match some of the division’s stronger sides. In League Two, Fleetwood Town followed their Carabao Cup win over Arsenal with a 3-1 league victory over Bristol Rovers, a result McLean said was important after a poor run and in advance of more league fixtures before their quarter-final against Everton.