Rafael Benitez, Alex Neil in contention for Championship MOTM gong

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez on March 20, 2016
© Getty Images
The four nominees for September's Championship Manager of the Month award are announced, with Rafael Benitez and Alex Neil among those in contention.

Rafael Benitez and Alex Neil are among the nominees for September's Manager of the Month award in the Championship after seeing their respective teams reach peak form.

Newcastle United boss Benitez guided his side to three wins and a draw from their five fixtures, including a 6-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers, while Neil presided over Norwich City's own impressive run which saw the Canaries climb into the automatic promotion zone.

City won four and lost one - a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Newcastle - while also scoring at least two goals in each of their outings during the profitable month.

Sheffield Wednesday's Carlos Carvalhal and Reading manager Jaap Stam are also in contention; the former guiding the Owls towards playoff contention following last term's near miss with four wins in five games.

Stam saw his Royals side claim 10 points from the 15 on offer, meanwhile, with his Dutch-influenced philosophy helping the club to their current position of eighth place in the table - two points adrift of the playoff zone.

The winner of the award, which was won by Huddersfield Town's David Wagner in August, will be announced on Friday, October 14.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez on March 20, 2016
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23161645182749
2Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton22146235142148
3Reading2313463330343
4Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2313372827142
5Leeds UnitedLeeds2313283023741
6Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2312472723440
7Fulham2399540281236
8Derby CountyDerby2210662315836
9Barnsley2310494035534
10Aston Villa2381052522334
11Birmingham CityBirmingham229762729-234
12Norwich CityNorwich23103103837133
13Preston North EndPreston239593131032
14Brentford2385102930-129
15Wolverhampton WanderersWolves237793132-128
16Ipswich TownIpswich237792226-428
17Bristol City2383123030027
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2375113641-526
19Cardiff CityCardiff2366112638-1224
20Queens Park RangersQPR2265112031-1123
21Burton Albion2357112432-822
22Blackburn RoversBlackburn2355132739-1220
23Wigan AthleticWigan2346132030-1018
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham2334162450-2613