Charlton Athletic Leads Early Standings as Wolves and Swansea Pursue

Charlton Athletic have wasted no time announcing themselves. Three games in, three wins on the bounce, and they sit top of an early but already intriguing table.

It’s been sharp, ruthless work from Charlton: three victories, five goals scored, none conceded. Perfect points, perfect defensive record, and the sort of clean, efficient start that makes the rest of the division sit up. This is not a side easing into the season. This is a side sprinting out of the blocks.

Just behind them, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Swansea City are already in pursuit.

Wolves, in second, look dangerous. Two wins and a draw from their opening three, nine goals rattled in, four conceded. They carry a punch going forward and, unlike Charlton, have already been dragged into more open, high-scoring contests. They haven’t been flawless, but they’ve been loud.

Swansea mirror that momentum in third. Two wins, one draw, five goals for, one against. Solid, compact, and hard to break down, they’ve matched Wolves on points and Charlton on defensive discipline, dropping only a single goal so far. It’s the sort of platform managers dream about in August or early autumn: points on the board, no crisis in sight.

The pattern repeats just below them. Another side on seven points with the same record – two wins and a draw – slots into fourth, again with five scored and one conceded. The margins are already fine. One goal here, a late equaliser there, and the early shape of the table would look very different.

Behind the leading pack, Middlesbrough and Millwall sit together on six points, both with two wins and a defeat. Middlesbrough’s goal difference stands at plus two, while Millwall’s early form has been a little wilder: plenty of goals at both ends, five scored and six conceded. Both clubs have shown they can win, both have shown their flaws.

The mid-table traffic jam is already forming. Birmingham City and Watford share identical records: three games, one win, two draws, no defeats, three goals for, three against. Unbeaten, but not yet unleashed. They’re joined by Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Bristol City, all on four points, all still trying to work out exactly what they are this season.

Cardiff City and Sheffield United have taken a different route to the same destination. Three games, three draws each, three points apiece. Cardiff have scored five and conceded five; Sheffield United, tighter, sit on two scored and two conceded. Neither side has found a way to win, but neither has buckled either. That tension can’t last forever.

Below them, the table starts to tilt.

Portsmouth and Norwich City share matching records: three points from three, one win and two defeats, five goals scored, six conceded. Lincoln City sit just behind on the same points but with a harsher defensive story, five scored and eight shipped. All three have already tasted victory and defeat, and all three know how quickly a slow start can turn into a full-blown problem if the next fortnight goes badly.

Southampton, too, are stuck in that awkward early bracket. Three points from three games, but with a different rhythm: one loss followed by back-to-back wins. Four goals scored, five conceded. The momentum is at least moving in the right direction.

Another side on three points – with a draw, a defeat, and another draw – hover just above the danger zone, still searching for their first win and a bit of clarity.

Below them, the warning lights flicker.

Wrexham have opened with two draws and a defeat. Three games, three goals scored, four conceded, and just two points to show for it. Derby County sit in even deeper trouble: one draw, two losses, seven conceded, only three scored, and a single point on the board. It’s early, but the table already has that familiar look – some clubs gliding, some grinding, some already glancing nervously over their shoulders.

Charlton lead it for now, Wolves and Swansea breathing down their necks, and a cluster of ambitious sides jostling for position just behind. The margins are thin, the patterns fragile. One bad week, one inspired performance, and this early hierarchy will be ripped up again.

For the teams at both ends, the question is the same: is this just a start, or the first clear sign of how their season will really unfold?