Former Peterborough United and Hull City striker Aaron McLean has offered his key assessments following Saturday's Football League action, headlined by Middlesbrough strengthening their grip on the Championship summit and West Ham United suffering further home setbacks. Speaking to BBC Sport's Adam Lanigan, the Final Score pundit broke down the crucial developments across the Championship, League One, and League Two as the promotion battles begin to intensify.
Middlesbrough established a two-point lead at the top of the Championship following a decisive 3-0 victory over Charlton Athletic, inspired by two goals from Will Lankshear. The forward, signed for £20m from Tottenham in the summer, has scored in all but one Riverside league match this campaign and boasts 13 goals in 13 league appearances. McLean claimed Lankshear possesses an "X-factor" and insisted Middlesbrough must achieve promotion to retain him against prospective suitors, though he cautioned that senior England recognition is premature for now. In contrast, West Ham slipped to eighth in the table after a home defeat to West Bromwich Albion, conceding three goals for the second straight Saturday. All three of the Hammers' Championship losses this term have occurred at London Stadium in front of 60,000 supporters, leaving the fanbase divided over manager Nuno Espirito Santo despite Jarrod Bowen contributing seven goals this season.
Southampton continued their impressive run under Tonda Eckert, rising to fifth in the Championship courtesy of a 4-1 victory over QPR. The Saints have suffered just two defeats in their previous 34 Championship fixtures and have completely recovered from an earlier four-point penalty, which McLean noted would otherwise have them sitting in second place. McLean lauded the club's commitment to Eckert following May's Spygate controversy, praising the performances of James Ward-Prowse and James Bree as the squad harnesses an "against the world" siege mentality to fuel their promotion bid.
In League One, Jack Wilshere's Luton Town registered a fourth consecutive victory—their strongest run since February 2019—by securing a 2-0 away win against Peterborough United to move fourth. McLean maintained that promotion is essential for the Hatters, though he questioned whether they possess the week-to-week consistency of leaders Huddersfield Town, Stockport, or Michael Duff's Bradford ahead of Luton's Tuesday clash with Huddersfield. Meanwhile, League Two side Fleetwood Town followed their Carabao Cup penalty shootout win against Arsenal with an important 3-1 victory over Bristol Rovers. Having started the day in 18th following five losses in seven league outings, Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored again as Fleetwood began a run of six league matches preceding their home quarter-final tie against Everton.