We Are Middlesbrough

Image source, Rex Features

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick said it was a "good point" after his side earned a 1-1 draw at Burnley.

"If you go into the changing room, there's a tinge of disappointment, which is a good sign for me," Carrick told BBC Radio Tees.

"The boys are a bit disappointed that we haven't won the game, albeit respectful and accepting the way the game was and how tight it was in some aspects.

"We're striving for more, we're hoping for more. Tonight we couldn't quite get it but we'll certainly take it and use it as a positive going into the games coming up."

On ending Burnley's run of five straight clean sheets, Carrick said: "They're very good defensively, Scotty [Parker] has got them really well organised, not giving a lot away at all through the whole season really.

"It shows some of our play at times was really good and I think we're a little bit disappointed that we haven't had another goal. But maybe they're similar. They had moments around our box as well."

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Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway admits he loves playing alongside on-loan Liverpool winger Ben Doak.

Conway, 22, scored either side of half-time in the 3-1 win over Hull City thanks to two assists from Doak, who he also plays with for the Scotland national team.

"I love him, not only on the pitch does he cause carnage and creates but off the pitch as well, he's a good mate of mine," Conway told BBC Radio Tees.

"When we're away with Scotland, we're always chilling out together.

"He said he's going to send me the invoice and I did say 'look Beno, I had to do a little bit for you'.

"You always know he's going to create something - it gives me confidence and makes me think of my next move so I need to make sure I'm in the box and timing my run correctly to get on the end of it."

Since Conway made his summer move to the Riverside from Bristol City, he has notched eight goals in his first 14 league appearances.

However, the striker claims he doesn't care who provides the goals as long as the team continue to climb the league table - where they currently sit fifth.

"It doesn’t matter who scores, I just want to be part of a successful team that’s going one place," he added.

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Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has praised Dael Fry for the defender's commitment to getting back to fitness.

The 27-year-old, who joined his local club aged seven, made his first start after a 10-month injury nightmare as Boro beat Hull 3-1 at the Riverside.

Prior to Saturday's game, Fry’s last competitive start came against Bristol City on 10 February before a pelvic problem ended his 2023-24 campaign and hampered his pre-season, with further complications restricting him to a couple of run-outs with the under-21s in recent months.

Fry had been a first-team mainstay before his injury but had only played 15 minutes off the bench in the 5-1 win over Luton on 9 November before this weekend.

Carrick told BBC Radio Tees: "Dael’s been out injured for a lot longer than what we first thought he would be.

"It’s been frustrating but credit to him for how he’s handled it. He’s worked so hard behind the scenes. It’s not easy to come back into a game like that too.

"It was a big day for him and he stepped up fantastically well."

Adam Lanigan
BBC Sport England

Image source, Rex Features

With typical understatement, Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick says that Ben Doak is doing "alright" as the Liverpool loanee produced another electric display.

Doak set up both of Tommy Conway's goals in Boro's 3-1 win over Hull City, which moved them up to fifth in the Championship.

November has been a spectacular month for the 19-year-old, with five assists for his club and one for Scotland in two fine performances in their Nations League wins over Croatia and Poland.

"He's doing alright, he's doing alright," said Boro boss Carrick.

Doak was a handful for the Tigers all afternoon, because along with the assists, he forced saves from goalkeeper Ivor Pandur and created other chances.

The teenager has emerged as a key player in one of the most electric attacks in the division, with only Norwich City bettering Boro's 32 goals.

And for Carrick, it's a question of letting that talent flourish for the side.

"It's clear for everyone to see the talent that he's got and the threat that he has," he told BBC Sport.

"He's a different threat to most. He's quite direct and not so much loads of tricks and skills, but he's got that attribute to be low with his centre of gravity, he's direct and gets in that position an awful lot.

"Credit to the boys for supplying him and using him and trying to bring out the best of him. He certainly fits the system really well and it's up to us to keep pushing him and developing him and trying to make him better."

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Blackburn Rovers' late winner in their 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough has left some Boro fans feeling robbed of a point after calls that goalscorer Dom Hyam was offside.

Rovers midfielder Todd Cantwell had also hit the net five minutes prior but had his goal ruled offside - however, the flag remained down when Hyam slid home soon after.

In Wednesday's Red Alert podcast, Paul Addison and former Middlesbrough midfielder Neil Maddison discuss Boro's lacklustre home performance and the goal that ended their free-scoring three-game winning streak.

"For me, the annoying thing is the linesman," Maddison said.

"As soon as it's gone in the net, I've looked and it's got to be offside. He's in front of the defender, he's played it in from behind - he has to be offside.

"The linesman is five yards behind, he's still got to see that. It's poor."

You can listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds.