Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United stars are bucking recent EFL trend: View | OneFootball

The race for the Championship Golden Boot is in the final stretch, with several players battling it out to be the top scorer in the division.

While Aleksander Mitrovic's record of 43 goals in a single campaign looks set to remain for another year, there are still a number of games remaining for players to add to their already impressive tallies.

The race for the Championship Golden Boot

Plymouth Argyle's Morgan Whittaker and Blackburn Rovers' Sammie Szmodics are currently top of the goalscoring charts this season, both sitting on 17 goals so far this season.

The pair have been in fine form for their respective clubs, with Argyle rejecting a bid for their talisman during the January window, which shows just how far the club have come under Simon Hallett.

And despite their off-field issues, Szmodics has continued to shine for Rovers during a difficult season, often operating in a more central striker role compared to his more preferred midfield position.

Adam Armstrong, Crysencio Summerville and Jack Clarke all follow in that list, and are all hoping to achieve the coveted prize come the end of the season.

Szmodics, Whittaker and Summerville doing something different

Of the previous 10 Championship seasons, all the season's top scorers have been out-and-out strikers - not since Peter Whittingham in 2009/10 (20) has a non-striker won the Golden Boot.

The likes of Ross McCormack for Leeds United in 2013/14, Matej Vydra of Derby County in 2017/18, and Teemu Pukki's stellar 2018/19 season for Norwich City have all scooped the award in recent years, showcasing some of the most prolific striking seasons the division has ever witnessed. More recently, it has been the likes of Mitrovic and Ivan Toney.

But with a shift in tactics, formations and managerial personnel in the second tier, we are seeing an abundance of attacking talent overtake the typical number nine at the higher end of the scoring charts.

This season alone, there are six players in the top 10 who are not typically seen as strikers, all out-scoring some of the leading marksmen in the Championship.

The likes of Ryan Hardie, Joel Piroe and Will Keane have all scored well this term, but it seems to be those in the wide positions that seem to be benefitting the most in front of goal.

Szmodics is carrying the beacon for Blackburn's survival hopes, Whittaker is scoring well as well for a side in the bottom half of the table. Summerville, meanwhile, is Leeds' top goalscorer and outscoring a vibrant attacking unit under Daniel Farke.

Elsewhere, Sunderland have been over-reliant on Jack Clarke this season, despite recruiting several attacking reinforcements during the summer. Jonathan Rowe's emergence for Norwich City has them fighting for a place in the play-offs, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's influence on Leicester City has them within touching distance of an immediate return to the Premier League.

Adam Armstrong will fancy winning the Golden Boot

Despite scoring 28 goals in Blackburn's 2020/21 season, Armstrong was still pipped to the award by Brentford's Toney that season, who scored 31 goals that season to secure Brentford's return to the Premier League in 74 years.

The 27-year-old will be out for vengeance this year, with the Southampton striker just a goal behind the top two having scored four goals in his last six appearances for Russell Martin's side.

Southampton had been in imperious form up until their defeat to Bristol City last weekend, losing for the first time since September.

But their array of attacking riches far outweighs most of the teams in the division, with Armstrong licking his lips at the possibility of securing the Golden Boot, starting with their Friday night fixture against West Bromwich Albion.