Which teams are most clinical in the EFL Championship?

When a striker is continually missing chances, the narrative tends to be that at least he is getting opportunities. This platitude can equally be applied to teams, but there is no substitute for sticking the ball in the back of the net.

To that end, and with the Championship season now roughly a quarter of the way through, we thought we’d take a look at just how efficient each of the 24 clubs in the second tier have been so far this term.

CONVERSION RATE (Percentage) – TOTAL SHOTS

Let us start with the basics. Brian Barry-Murphy’s attacking, young Cardiff City side must be an absolute joy to watch as, despite finding themselves 19th in the standings after 11 games, only high-flying Middlesbrough (210) can better their tally of 187 shots.

At the other end of the spectrum, Chris Wilder’s 11th-placed Sheffield United team have managed a paltry 103 efforts, which suggests that supporters of the South Yorkshire outfit are not exactly being treated to a series of scintillating displays.

Paying close attention to how many attempts each club has mustered is all well and good, but what we really want to know is just how efficient they all are when it comes to taking those opportunities:

Although it is easy to be critical of the Blades for their inability to create chances, it is worth noting that only second-placed West Ham United (16.76%) can better their shot conversion rate of 14.56%.

In the middle of the pack, it is surprising to see Middlesbrough (10.48%) and Burnley (10.26%) so closely matched. These two teams have started the season in contrasting fashion, sitting third and third from bottom after 11 games, but neither side has been particularly efficient in front of goal.

When it comes to Championship predictions, the signs don’t look good for Watford, Preston North End and Derby County. Not only do this trio of clubs currently find themselves firmly in the relegation picture, but they are also each converting less than 7% of their chances.

CONVERSION RATE (Percentage) – SHOTS ON TARGET

When it comes to hitting the target, Cardiff (67) and Norwich City (55) are the clear interlopers amongst the division’s leading clubs, joining West Ham (68), Middlesbrough (68) and Queens Park Rangers (57) in the top-five positions.

When you consider that Preston (28) and Lincoln City (24) have worked the goalkeeper on just 52 occasions between them, it is easy to see why many experienced tipsters are expecting this duo to be playing their football in League One next season.

Interestingly, both of these struggling sides start to clamber up the table when we look purely at the conversion rate for shots on target, but what else does this metric reveal about clubs in the second tier?:

Five teams are scoring with over 40% of their shots on target, suggesting that West Ham (44.12%), Stoke City (43.90%), Southampton (43.75%), Sheffield United (41.67%) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (40.43%) don’t need to do too much work on their finishing.

Given how well Swansea City (1st) and Middlesbrough (3rd) are actually performing, supporters of these clubs should be buoyed by just how much room they have for improvement, with both occupying mid-table positions when it comes to turning shots on target into goals.

Similarly, only Watford (20.41%), Derby (21.43%) and Bristol City (25.00%) are converting fewer of their shots on target into goals than ninth-placed QPR (26.32%). Should the West London outfit address this lack of a cutting edge, then any football tips today would surely have them securing a playoff place (currently 3/1) come May?

SUMMARY

West Ham were always fancied to make an immediate return to the Premier League and the Hammers’ quality in forward areas has been perfectly illustrated by their division-leading conversion rates for both shots (16.76%) and shots on target (44.12%).

Elsewhere, Sheffield United have made the most of very little, whilst Cardiff have been woefully inefficient in front of goal. Consequently, it will be interesting to see how these two teams end up relative to one another in the final standings.

Finally, if you are in the market for football betting tips, then Derby (5/4), Watford (7/2) and Bristol City (14/1) all have to be considered as serious contenders for relegation. In fact, these are the only three teams with a shot conversion rate of less than 8% coupled with a shots on target conversion rate of 25% or fewer.

N.B. All data is correct up to and including matches played on Tuesday 20th October 2026