Stoke & Staffordshire

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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.

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Stoke City will hope to continue their excellent form when they visit Bolton Wanderers in the Championship on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 BST).

The Potters lost their opening three games of the season and were bottom of the table at the end of August but are unbeaten since then and have climbed to seventh with four wins from five matches (D1).

Bolton have won two on the bounce following a run of four straight defeats, with their most recent success a thrilling 4-3 win at Norwich before the international break.

• This is the first league meeting between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City since a goalless draw in the Championship in December 2018.

• Stoke City are winless in their pre10 league visits to Bolton Wanderers (D4 L6) since a 1-0 win in October 1990 under manager Alan Ball.

• Bolton have won their past two Championship matches – they haven't won three in a row at this level since April 2014; this is their 197th game in the Championship since then.

• No team won more points in the Championship in September than Stoke (13), who won four of their five matches (D1). It was more wins than they'd managed in their previous 23 games (W3 D6 L14).

• Thierry Gale has been involved in four goals in eight Championship appearances for Bolton this season (3 goals, 1 assist) – he's the first Barbadian with as many as three goals in a Championship season since Nick Blackman scored 11 in 2015-16 for Reading.

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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.

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Stoke City midfielder Djibril Soumare says the togetherness in the squad has helped turn their early season form around.

After losing their first three games of the Championship season, the Potters have rallied excellently, winning four of five matches before the international break to move into seventh place, two points off the top two.

Soumare, one of a number of key summer arrivals that included £10m Northern Ireland midfielder Ethan Galbraith, has been an impressive presence in Stoke's run and the former Sheffield United loanee said there was a simple reason for that.

"I felt love since day one. So I'm really enjoying it here," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"I think that togetherness is really like a family on the pitch, out of the pitch. I said when I joined I still want to develop and the staff here, coaches - it was the right one for me I think.

"If it's time to be serious we're going to be serious but in the dressing room, having a laugh with the boys, is something special."

Soumare made 25 appearances for the Blades in the Championship last season and he said he returned to England from Portuguese club Braga this summer with more of an idea what to expect.

"There's still a lot to develop on my football - the intensity, because I think I'm not 100% fit yet as I didn't have a proper pre-season," he added.

"That season [with United] wasn't perfect but I learned a lot - it was my first year in England, so now I think I understand the league better and will enjoy it more.

"To be honest, I really love this team, so I'm really looking forward to score my first goal - that will be something really special for me."

Stoke return to Championship action on Saturday at Bolton Wanderers [15:00 BST].

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Stoke City midfielder Ethan Galbraith held his hamstring as he left the field during Northern Ireland's goalless match against Georgia on Monday.

The 25-year-old, who had missed the international side's previous game against Ukraine to return home for the birth of his son, was substituted off the pitch in the 65th minute with the injury issue.

He started the match alongside Potters team-mate Justin Devenny.

Stoke return to action on Saturday when they make the trip to Bolton Wanderers (15:00 BST) in a bid to extend their five-match undefeated streak.