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Championship: Boro fight back to level against Cardiff; Lincoln & Watford winning

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Middlesbrough celebrate scoring second goal
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Paul Mortimer
Former Charlton midfielder on BBC Radio London

I know Millwall are 2-1 down but the game is there for them.

Now they've got to play with a bit more urgency and that is an energy thing as well because Lincoln will start to frustrate.

The quality hasn't been what Millwall will want.

They need to keep that momentum.

Chances at both ends in the space of a minute!

Charlton first. Miles Leaburn gets away down the right hand side and pulls the ball back for Karlan Grant, who you would back to make a clean strike from inside the penalty area, but he gets his contact with the ball all wrong and Watford survive.

The Hornets then venture down the other end. Luca Kjerrumgaard chests the ball smartly into the path of Myron Boadu, but he drags his attempt wide of the far post.

We still await our first goal at Vicarage Road but there are signs that what has been a low-key game is slowly coming to life.

It has not been a thriller at Vicarage Road which, considering the respective form of either side, perhaps should not come as too much of a surprise.

Watford have had the better of it, just about. They need a positive result quickly to arrest their alarming slide and they showed some initiative in the early stages without being able to beat Arthur Okonkwo in the visiting goal.

Charlton, meanwhile, have made things cagey. They are after a long-awaited victory of their own and had perhaps the best chance of this half when Miles Leaburn headed wide.

There has not been much in it and, while it remains goalless, this game is anybody's. It might be that a single goal will be enough to win it.

Watford have had the better of this half, undoubtedly.

The Hornets have just carved out the best move of the match so far.

Luca Kjerrumgaard finds Myron Boadu, who has peeled away from the last line of defence, but Billy Koumetio recovers and produces an excellent last-ditch challenge to deny the forward.

Watford recycle it but Kjerrumgaard fires over the bar. The beleaguered hosts have shown a bit of urgency and have moved the ball a fair bit better than Charlton thus far.

It is Lincoln's turn to threaten with a long throw.

Andrei Coubis is everywhere today, including on the scoresheet and he tosses the throw into the Millwall 18-yard area and the home side sketchily clear it but then concede a free-kick in a dangerous position.

The ball is high into the box again and goalkeeper Filip Marschall crashes into the post as he deals with a difficult situation.

Marschall needs some treatment.

Things could not have gone much worse for Watford, since the resumption of domestic action following the international break.

Alessio Dionisi has seen his side ship nine goals in just two matches - they were hit for four at Vicarage Road a week ago by Burnley, who until that meeting were yet to win a league game.

The Hornets then took another hammering against Cardiff in the Welsh capital in the week, conceding five more. The heavy consecutive defeats have mounted the pressure on manager Dionisi and the club have received plenty of back-lash from a fed-up fan-base.

Needing a positive result, one side who could prove tricky opponents are today's visitors Charlton; they claimed a point when scoring late to draw 2-2 against Burnley at Turf Moor in the week.

The Addicks are actually seven league matches without a win themselves, but they have drawn five of those and head to Hertfordshire buoyed by their midweek point.

The Riverside ahead of kick-off

You're probably already well aware that the third Saturday in October is International Sloth Day.

Fitting, then, that it also brings a feast of Championship football featuring several teams who are slow to get going, a select few aiming to get to the top of the tree and others who are quite simply aiming to hang around.

We have three tasty lunchtime treats for you first up, with matters at the top and bottom of the table to focus on, before a bumper 15:00 BST schedule with current leaders Swansea against title favourites West Ham top of the bill.

In tribute to the majestic sloth, best get yourself comfortable, with easy access to snacks, and let us bring you up to speed before the first games get under way in half an hour.

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