3 hurdles that Middlesbrough must overcome to ensure they finish in the top six

Back-to-back 1-0 home defeats have seen Middlesbrough fall out of the Championship play-off places down to eighth.

Boro have played one less than the two teams above, Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers, and actually rank seventh on points per game, but they are not making a top six finish look as easy as many expected them to, given the turnaround overseen by Chris Wilder and the level of their performances in the FA Cup.

Here, we have taken a look at three hurdles Boro must overcome to ensure they finish in the top six…

Isaiah Jones’ absence

It is no surprise to see Boro affected by not having Jones available at right wing back, but for them to draw two consecutive blanks is concerning.

Lee Peltier slotted in against Fulham, with Marcus Tavernier taking on the role in the defeat to Hull City, neither had the desired impact and merely exposed how over-reliant they are on Jones as an attacking contingent.

Jones’ absence is through illness which is typically short term, although it is slightly worrying that the 22-year-old was not even on the bench against the Tigers, contrary to what was expected in the build-up to the game.

Mistake-prone Joe Lumley

Lumley sticks out like a saw thumb as Boro’s main weakness and it would be very surprising to see him playing in the Championship next season for any team, let alone Boro.

Luke Daniels has not played since keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 home win over Swansea City in early December, and will be wondering what Lumley has to do at this stage to be dropped.

Keane Lewis-Potter’s winner for the Tigers on Saturday was well struck, but the way Lumley flaps at it is almost comical and demonstrates how unsuited to a second tier promotion push he is ability wise.

The run-in

With six