TONY Mowbray sees tonight’s trip to struggling Doncaster Rovers as the first step towards establishing Middlesbrough’s promotion credentials.
After losing 3-0 at top-of-the-table Southampton at the weekend, fourth-placed Boro head to the Keepmoat Stadium to take on next-to-bottom Rovers before hosting Watford at the weekend. And so tight is the Championship table at present, Mowbray says the outcome of these next two games will have a major bearing on whether Boro stay in the promotion pack or slip back into midtable.
Boro are one of four clubs in the top six locked on 24 points, three points behind second-placed West Ham and six behind the Saints.
But, with only six points separating third place from 16th, this week’s double round of fixtures could have a big impact on the league table.
Mowbray (pictured right) said: “We have an opportunity to pick up six points this week in the games against Doncaster and Watford and if we do that, we’ll be sitting pretty healthy again.
“If we don’t beat either of those teams, there’s every chance we will be in midtable. We’ll just have to wait and see.
“It’s very tight, as the points total suggests.
“We’re a match for most teams in this league on our day but, as we have found in our last two away games [against Southampton and Nottingham Forest], when we don’t quite function, we are found wanting.”
Boro made a strong start to the season, going seven league games without defeat and winning their first six away games in all competitions, but Mowbray has made sure his players’ feet stay firmly on the ground.
“I’ve never allowed us to blow our own trumpet and say we’re going to do this or that,” he said. “It’s about hard work, honesty and endeavour every game for us.
“I’d like to think that we will get stronger as the season unfolds and goes on.
“Last season we seemed to get stronger after New Year and, if we can do the same again having given ourselves a platform of points, we won’t be too far away. We’ll have to wait and see if Southampton keep on going and open up a big gap, if West Ham do the same or if Leicester come back into it.” Boro’s defeat at St Mary’s came as a reality check and Mowbray is taking nothing for granted against Doncaster, whose new manager Dean Saunders has bolstered his squad with a handful of experienced Premier League players in the shape of ex-Sunderland men Pascal Chimbonda and El-Hadji Diouf, along with on-loan West Ham defender Herital Ilunga.
Chimbonda and latest addition Diouf, who joined Rovers yesterday, have signed short-term deals with the South Yorkshire club.
Mowbray said: “Southampton were very effective on the day and they merit their place at the top of the table. I watched the game again on Sunday and we had more possession than they did, but we didn’t manage to hurt them at all really.
“We need to get back to doing what worked for us at the start of the season, which was playing off our strikers a bit more and asking questions of the opposition.
“Doncaster are at the other end of the table but this game presents its own challenges. We went to Forest when they were next-to-bottom and lost 2-0.”
Mowbray has no new injury problems and is set to take the same squad to Doncaster that travelled to Southampton.
Rovers boss Saunders could be without strikers Billy Sharp and Giles Barnes.
Sharp missed the weekend draw against Coventry – which saw Rovers pick up their first point in four games – for personal reasons while Barnes suffered concussion against the Sky Blues and will be assessed before a decision is made on his availability.
