Dom Ballard's audacious backheel volley for Bristol City against Birmingham City in gameweek two of the Championship, scored on August 22, has been lauded as a potential Puskás Award contender and a strong candidate for the 2026-27 Championship Goal of the Season.
This spectacular strike has prompted a look into the earliest goals in a season to win such accolades. Ismaïla Sarr's halfway line effort for Watford against West Brom on August 8, 2022, just 12 minutes into the opening day match, stands out as a particularly early Championship Goal of the Season winner.
Eleven years prior to Ballard's goal, on August 22, 2015, Marco Matias scored a notable goal for Sheffield Wednesday against Leeds United in gameweek four, which later secured the Goal of the Season award in April 2016.