The Madejski Stadium side are ahead of third placed Stoke City only on goal difference, but are just one point behind early season pace setters Wigan Athletic.
Meanwhile sorry Gillingham, Reading's opponents this afternoon, have sunk to nineteenth in the table. Andy Hessenthaler's side had topped the table in August after scoring six points out of nine from their first three games, but they now sit perilously close to the drop zone.
Cardiff, Nottingham Forest, and Rotherham currently make up the bottom three.
Yet it is Wigan Athletic who are grabbing all the headlines this evening. Paul Jewell's side recorded a phenomenal 4-0 win over Neil Warnock's highly-fancied Sheffield United at the JJB Stadium to go top of the table.
Stoke City, who led the way this morning, were surprisingly held to a goalless draw at home to Nottingham Forest.
Wolves this afternoon won for only the second time this season. Carl Cort and Dean Sturridge combined to score the goals that gave Dave Jones' side victory at Plymouth.
Yet Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United and Millwall, supposedly the division's big boys, all remain in the bottom half of the table this evening.
Championship results (Sat 18th September):
Brighton & Hove Albion 2 QPR 2 - Att 6,612
Cardiff City 0 Derby County 2 - Att 12,008
Coventry City 0 Rotherham 0 - Att 13,834
Crewe 2 Leeds United 2 - Att 9,095
Leicester City 0 Burnley 0 - Att 22,495
Plymouth 1 Wolves 2 - Att 18,635
Reading 3 Gillingham 1 - Att 13,867
Stoke City 0 Nottingham Forest 0 - Att 21,115
Sunderland 3 Preston 1 - Att 24,264
West Ham United 1 Ipswich Town 1 - Att 28,812
Wigan Athletic 4 Sheffield United 0 - Att 10,682
Championship table:
| Last game played on Saturday 18th September 2004 | Pld | Home | Away | Overall | Pts | GD | |||||||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | |||||||||
| 1 | Wigan Athletic | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 7 | 19 | +12 | ||||
| 2 | Reading | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 18 | +5 | ||||
| 3 | Stoke City | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 18 | +3 | ||||
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 17 | +6 | ||||
| 5 | West Ham United | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 17 | +2 | ||||
| 6 | Sunderland | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 10 | 14 | +6 | ||||
| 7 | Queens Park Rangers | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 14 | -1 | ||||
| 8 | Watford | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 13 | +7 | ||||
| 9 | Plymouth Argyle | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 10 | Leeds United | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 12 | +2 | ||||
| 11 | Coventry City | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 12 | +1 | ||||
| 12 | Derby County | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 12 | +1 | ||||
| 13 | Leicester City | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 14 | Burnley | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 11 | +2 | ||||
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 16 | Sheffield United | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 11 | -3 | ||||
| 17 | Millwall | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 18 | Preston North End | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 10 | -1 | ||||
| 19 | Gillingham | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 10 | -7 | ||||
| 20 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 8 | -6 | ||||
| 21 | Crewe Alexandra | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 6 | -6 | ||||
| 22 | Nottingham Forest | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 6 | -6 | ||||
| 23 | Cardiff City | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 5 | -9 | ||||
| 24 | Rotherham United | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 4 | -8 | ||||
| COLOUR KEY: | Promotion place(s) | Transfer place(s) | ||
| Play-off place(s) | Relegation place(s |