Swansea City

Image source, BBC Sport

After nine games of the season, Swansea City are two points clear at the top of the Championship.

Vitor Matos' side have lost just one league game and conceded only seven goals when setting the early pace.

This week the Swans face two of the Championship's top eight sides in Millwall and West Ham United.

Here are the thoughts of some Swansea supporters ahead of a big test of their side's promotion credentials.

Lincoln: The next three games will be telling if the Swans are genuine contenders. It will show they have the quality to compete. Squad depth has been an issue in the past but we will have to wait and see how that goes.

Phil: Two very difficult games. I'd love four points but I'll be quite happy with two draws and to stay unbeaten.

Gareth: I would take a draw against Millwall and West Ham. Anything more is a bonus.

Adam: I think Swansea will get into the play-offs this season, but the real test comes against West Ham. If we get a result at home to the Hammers we're on our way to the Premier League again.

Dan: I think most fans know that we won't finish where we are, but we'll enjoy it for now. Lose a couple of games and the picture can change very quickly. However, we've given ourselves a real chance of finishing in the top eight.

Mark: Not firing on all cylinders yet, which is a good sign. Playing some great stuff balanced with superb defending, but there are mistakes which get punished in this league. Tough games ahead, but no reason to fear anyone.

Logger: Realistically, the Swans should be eyeing up a top four position. They have a great depth of squad with a quality bench of game changers. But Wolves and West Ham should come good over the course of a season.

Image source, BBC Sport

Swansea are the early in-form Championship side, topping the league and firmly up there with the promotion hopefuls after their latest win, 2-1 against Norwich.

Last season they were nervously looking down the table with the fear of a relegation battle in the air.

So how to you think things will pan out from here on in for Vitor Matos' side, with their next games at Millwall on Tuesday before hosting much-fancied West Ham on Saturday?

Let us know what you think by clicking here.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United are celebrating winning both the Championship's manager and player of the month awards for September.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo oversaw an unbeaten run last month which produced four wins from their five league games in which they scored 18 goals.

Defender Konstantinos Mavropanos had a prolific September for the Hammers, scoring four goals while also helping them keep two clean sheets as they moved up to second place in the table.

"I am delighted to win this award, but it was an excellent team effort this month," said Mavropanos.

"We had some good results, went on a good run, and obviously this award means that we are doing something good with the team.

"I am the one who has been given the award this time, but it could have been any of my team-mates, and I am just really happy that we are in a good way right now."

Lincoln head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, Swansea's Vitor Matos and Mark Robins of Stoke City were also nominated for the manager award.

Swansea City could be off the top of the table by the time they meet Norwich City on Saturday (12:30 BST).

A victory for West Ham over QPR on Friday night (20:00 BST) would send the Hammers to the summit at the expense of the Swans.

• Swansea City have won their past three home league matches against Norwich City since a 1-0 defeat in the 2022-23 season under Russell Martin.

• Norwich have won just one of their past seven league games against Swansea, a 5-1 home victory in January 2025.

• Swansea have picked up 17 points in their eight Championship matches this season (W5 D2 L1), their best start to a season since 2019-20, when they also had 17 points.

• No side has conceded more goals in the Championship this season than Norwich (17), who have lost both of their past two games 4-3 against Middlesbrough and Bolton. They are the first side in the top four tiers to lose consecutive league games despite scoring three goals since Newcastle in December 2012, while no side has lost three on the bounce when scoring at least three times.

• This season in the Championship, Norwich's Ben Chrisene is one of only two defenders in the competition to record more than 20 tackles (21) and more than 30 possession duel wins (33), alongside West Brom's Callum Styles.

Image source, Getty Images

Lincoln City head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, Swansea's Vitor Matos, Mark Robins of Stoke City and West Ham United boss Nuno Espirito Santo have been nominated for September's Championship manager of the month award.

Cohen and Shaw oversaw a run of eight points from five games for newly-promoted Lincoln last month, including away wins at Preston and Bristol City.

Matos won August's award and is in the running again as Swansea took 10 points in September to move to the top of the Championship table.

Stoke City recovered from losing their opening three games of the season under Robins to go unbeaten last month with four wins from their five outings and move up to seventh place.

West Ham boss Nuno's side rattled in 18 goals in their five matches in September with only Millwall preventing them from taking three points in a 2-2 draw at The Den.

The winner will be announced at 06:00 BST on Friday, 9 October.

Image source, Getty Images

Eom Jisung's excellent start to the 2026-27 season reached another level after he scored the winning goal as South Korea clinched the Asian Games football title.

The Swansea winger scored the only goal as South Korea beat hosts Japan 1-0 in Aichi to win their fourth successive Asian Games crown.

Eom, who starred for Championship leaders Swansea before international duty, scored four goals and notched three assists during the competition.

His impressive Asian Games campaign included an opening game hat-trick against Qatar and a composed finish to seal victory in the final.

Eom finishes as the tournament's joint-top goalscorer alongside Uzbekistan's Sardorbek Bakhromov.

By becoming an Asian Games champion, the 24-year-old has secured an exemption from mandatory service in South Korea's military.

Able-bodied South Korean males are typically required to undertake between 18 and 21 months of military service before turning 28.

However, the government rewards Asian Games champions and Olympic medallists with a service exemption, bar basic training which lasts less than a month.

Eom featured for his country at the World Cup over the summer and was selected as one of three over-age players for this competition.

Swansea return to Championship action when they host Norwich City in an early kick-off on Saturday, 10 October.

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea City's table-topping squad are unlikely to have gained much rest during the international break with almost an entire side in action for their nations over the last week.

That included some team-mates going head-to-head as Stephen Welsh got the better of Zan Vipotnik in Scotland's goalless draw with Slovenia, and while Stephen Eustaquio was part of the Canada side that bettered Chile with Lawrence Vigouroux in goal.

Summer signing Welsh won praise on his debut in the Nations League goalless draw with Slovenia that saw Vipotnik come off the bench, but fail to score.

Strike partner Adam Idah was on target as the Republic of Ireland beat Israel, his first international goal in a year.

Ben Cabango played 70 minutes in Wales' defeat by Portugal in Lisbon before missing out against Denmark, while eye-catching young defender Filip Lissah has been in action for Czech Republic's Under 21s.

Away from Europe's Nations League games, Marko Stamenic skippered New Zealand to a 3-0 friendly win over China with Elijah Just coming off the bench, having both been replacements in a 2-2 draw with Palestine. They will now play in Japan's Kirin Cup, with Panama first opponents.

Esquatio's Canada, meanwhile, have games with Peru and rivals USA – the latter just three days before Swansea return to Championship action against Norwich.

Likewise, Vigouroux's Chile have games with the US and Mexico before being able to travel back to south Wales.

And Eom Jisung's Asian Cup experience continues. He was named as one of South Korea's overaage players for the ongoing Under-23 tournament, the winger helping his side reach the semi-finals.

Joseph Opoku, who like Just and Eustaquio scored at this summer's World Cup, was not named in the Ghana squad for their African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Join Chris Wathan and BBC Sport Wales reporter Gareth Vincent as they review Swansea City's first eight games of the Championship season.

Listen on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

How are Grimsby Town and Swansea City linked through their recruitment and analysis?

In the newest episode of the 72+ podcast, Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Cambridge United boss Neil Harris find out in conversation with Grimsby CEO Polly Bancroft, who talks Jamestown Analytics, club growth, ambitions and what it's like to be one of the few female chief executives in the EFL.

That's after the panel are joined by Adam Blackmore, BBC Radio Solent's sports editor, to chat Spygate, the looming verdict over Tonda Eckert and how the club is feeling in this decisive week.

There's also discussion and debate on Championship table-toppers Swansea City and League One strugglers Peterborough United.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.