AFTER a season that has too often descended into despair at the Riverside, it is ironic that Tony Mowbray and Middlesbrough head for Championship D-day wishing the campaign wouldn’t end.

Fresh from conquering promotion-chasing Cardiff on Monday, Boro sign off a schizophrenic season against Doncaster today in fine form. Three wins on the spin have led to wistful rumination that with another month or so of fixtures they might have had a chance of breaching the 13-point gap to sixth place.

Instead of that the club are heading for an uncertain summer in which many of their big hitters are vulnerable, not least Bolton target Rhys Williams.

The Australia defender, the subject of an approach from the Reebok last week, is one of several higher profile players that Boro face a battle to keep hold of this summer. And Williams, unlike high earners Didiér Digard and Kris Boyd, is one that they would ideally like to keep hold of.

With that level of uncertainty surrounding the make up of next season’s squad, Mowbray admits to mixed feelings about the campaign concluding against South Yorkshire strugglers Rovers at lunchtime.

“It would be nice to keep the season running but we know at the start it’s 46 games and we get on with it,” he admitted.

“To be honest there’s nothing black and white sorted for next season – I don’t think we know if the phone is going to ring.

“I have my first options and choices of what I’d like to do but very rarely in football do the players that you hope to move on or bring in happen.

“Generally the phone rings for the ones you want to keep and doesn’t for the ones you would be happy to move on but let’s wait and see.