MIDDLESBROUGH moved level on points at the top of the Championship after an impressive 4-1 win at Charlton Athletic this afternoon.

Goals from Jonathan Woodgate, Scott McDonald, Emmanuel Ledesma and Richard Smallwood earned Tony Mowbray’s men their sixth away win on the bounce after Rob Hulse had given the hosts a 13th minute lead.

The win means Boro have made their best start to a season in 27 years and they could end the weekend joint top of the league depending on Cardiff’s late kick-off at Bolton Wanderers tonight.

Mowbray made three changes from the side that beat Sunderland in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night with Jonathan Woodgate returning from injury.

The defender replaced the injured Seb Hines, while Stuart Parnaby came in for Justin Hoyte and Josh McEachran replaced Ishmael Miller, who also suffered a knock midweek.

Boro came in to the game full of confidence after their Wear-Tees derby win, but their midweek exerts appeared to have taken their toll on Mowbray’s men in the early stages at the Valley.

The hosts started the brighter and within two minutes came close to taking the lead when Bradley Pritchard headed Bradley Wright-Phillips’ left sided cross inches over Jason Steele’s crossbar.

Boro’s sluggish start continued and they were made to pay when Charlton took a 13th minute lead. Josh McEachran lost out to Pritchard in the middle and he played in Hulse, who fired low in to Steele’s near post.

It was as much as Boro deserved for their lacklustre start, but the goal was a big wake-up call and slowly they began to get some momentum.

The equaliser came in the 27th minute when Jonathan Woodgate got on the end of Grant Leadbitter’s free-kick to send his unmarked header past Ben Hamer.

The goal gave Boro life and unnerved the hosts, who had been relatively untested before. However, Charlton continued to look dangerous on the break and Hulse came close to adding his second when he headed Lawrie Wilson’s cross over the bar.

Boro again looked vulnerable from an Addicts corner when Steele challenged Leon Cort for the ball. The Boro keeper couldn’t get his hands on it but luckily a deflection took it out for a goal kick.

They might not have produced their best display of the season in the first half, but Woodgate’s goal gave them belief and within ten minutes of the restart Mowbray’s men took the lead.

McEachran robbed Morrisson in the middle and sent McDonald free down the left channel. The Australian looked as if he had ran the ball too far, but he finished across Hamer in to the bottom corner.

Two became three for Boro on 63 minutes and what a finish it was. McDonald flicke don a long ball in to the path of Ledesma and after setting himself up, the attacker sent a delightful lob over Hamer from outside the area.

The visitors were firmly in control and McDonald, who now has five goals in his last seven games, almost made it four with an angled first time strike that forced a good save from Hamer.

Substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz almost made it four when he collected McDonald’s pass inside the area and cut inside but his shot hit the far post and just missed the advancing McEachran.

A fourth goal did come in added on time when Richie Smallwood finished from Leadbitter’s cross at the back post.