There are pretenders to the crown – but for Andy Johnson, Saturday’s strike partner at QPR is the best in the Championship by a distance.

Ross McCormack, Danny Ings and Jordan Rhodes head Charlie Austin on scorers’ list even though the man in hoops hit goals 13 and 14 of the season against Huddersfield to beat them 2-1 on Saturday.

But while the others have got pedigree, Johnson, who provided the assist for Austin to open the scoring, insists his pal’s strike rate is undiminished over the last three seasons.

He said: “Yeah. People talk about Jordan Rhodes etc, but what Charlie’s done at this level over the last two seasons is clear – he’s proven himself, and he’s done it week in, week out.

“He scored 17 two seasons ago, 28 last time, and for me he’s the most in-form striker in the league.”