Five managers from four Championship clubs have been nominated for September's manager of the month award, with the winner set to be announced at 06:00 on Friday, 9 October.

Lincoln's co-head coaches make the shortlist

Lincoln City's unusual dual-management arrangement puts two names on the list: Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw. Newly promoted to the second tier, Lincoln gathered eight points from five September fixtures, a return that belied their status as one of the division's less-fancied sides. Two of those results came away from home, with victories at Preston and Bristol City suggesting the Imps are more than capable of competing on their travels. Whether a shared nomination can translate into a shared award remains to be seen; the arrangement is almost certainly unprecedented in the history of the prize.

Matos going for back-to-back honours

Swansea City's Vitor Matos arrives at this shortlist as the defending champion, having taken August's award. He has lost little momentum since. The Swans collected 10 points across their five September matches and, according to the source, sat at the top of the Championship table as October arrived. That is a significant achievement for a club that had to rebuild following recent turbulence, and Matos's name appearing on consecutive shortlists suggests the start of the season has been no fluke.

It is worth noting, however, that being top of the table in early October carries limited predictive weight in a division as compressed as this one. Swansea supporters will know better than most how quickly the picture can shift. What the numbers do confirm is that September, at least, belonged to them.

Robins oversees a Stoke revival

Mark Robins's nomination is perhaps the most striking of the group given the context. Stoke City lost each of their first three league games, a start that would have tested the patience of most fan bases and boards alike. What followed in September was a complete turnaround: four wins from five outings, no defeats, and a climb to seventh in the table. Four wins in a single month is the kind of form that can reframe a season entirely, and Robins deserves credit for steadying a ship that had looked in danger of listing badly.

Previous coverage on this site has noted the role of squad depth and individual contributions in the recovery, but a nomination for the monthly award reflects something broader: a group of players responding to the manager's demands under pressure. Whether that momentum holds is a question the coming weeks will answer.

Nuno's West Ham make a statement

West Ham United's Nuno Espirito Santo rounds out the nominations after his side scored 18 goals across five September games. That is an extraordinary attacking output by any measure in this division. The only points dropped came in a 2-2 draw at Millwall, which means West Ham took 13 points from a possible 15 during the month. Eighteen goals in five matches represents an average of 3.6 per game, a rate that very few Championship squads can sustain over a full campaign. Whether the defence is equally solid is a separate question the data here does not fully settle, but the attacking intent is not in doubt.

A competitive field with no clear favourite

It is genuinely difficult to separate these candidates on merit. Matos has consistency on his side; Robins has the narrative of recovery; Nuno has the most eye-catching raw numbers; and Cohen and Shaw have shown that a newly promoted club can punch above its weight. The award, as ever, will go to one name, and the shortlist itself tells a wider story: September produced some genuinely impressive management across the Championship, which bodes well for the quality of the division as the season develops.

Frequently asked

Who is nominated for the Championship manager of the month award for September?
Lincoln City's Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, Swansea City's Vitor Matos, Stoke City's Mark Robins and West Ham United's Nuno Espirito Santo are all nominated for September's Championship manager of the month award.
When is the Championship manager of the month winner announced?
The winner of the September award will be announced at 06:00 on Friday, 9 October.
How did Stoke City perform in September under Mark Robins?
After losing their first three games of the season, Stoke went unbeaten in September with four wins from five matches, climbing to seventh in the Championship table.