West Ham United have been given an early reminder of the pressure surrounding the Championship promotion race after Middlesbrough scored a stoppage-time winner to beat Lincoln City 2-1 on Saturday.
Will Lankshear struck in the 91st minute at the Riverside to secure three points for one of the Hammers’ expected promotion rivals, leaving Nuno Espírito Santo’s side with an opportunity to respond when they face Burnley on Sunday.
Middlesbrough had trailed newly-promoted Lincoln at half-time before Lankshear levelled in the 62nd minute and then completed the comeback deep into added time.
Middlesbrough win turns up West Ham promotion pressure
Boro’s victory is particularly significant after manager Kim Hellberg spoke openly about the strength of West Ham before the season began.
ReadWestHam reported on Saturday morning that Hellberg described the quality in Nuno’s squad as “ridiculous”, while still making clear that Middlesbrough intend to compete near the top of the Championship.
His side have now backed up those ambitions with three points.
Lincoln threatened to spoil the occasion on their return to the second tier after 65 years, but Lankshear provided the decisive intervention after Riley McGree created the opening at the near post. The Guardian’s live Championship coverage confirmed the winner arrived in the first minute of stoppage time.
West Ham have yet to kick a ball in the league, so the table carries little significance after one afternoon.
There is already an opportunity for Nuno, however.
Wolves dropped two points in a 2-2 draw with Blackburn on Friday night, meaning West Ham can move above one of their other leading promotion rivals by winning at Turf Moor.
Middlesbrough’s late winner also raises the stakes.
West Ham travel to Burnley knowing three points would allow them to match Boro’s winning start while opening an immediate advantage over Wolves.
It is far too early for any result to define the promotion race, but the first weekend has already provided Nuno with a clear message: the sides expected to challenge West Ham will not wait for them to find their rhythm.
