Carrick staying level-headed amid ups and downs

Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough lost to Coventry in the play-off semi-finals two years ago

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick says he is not wasting energy on what other teams are doing in the race to make the Championship play-offs.

Boro started midweek in fifth place but, after losing to leaders Leeds United at home, they slipped to seventh.

That is because both Bristol City and Coventry City leapfrogged them courtesy of injury-time winning goals.

"Those results didn't affect me emotionally one bit," said Carrick. "I was purely thinking about the Leeds game and then the Millwall game.

"That's how I've always dealt with things. I get more excited by what we can do."

'10 minutes can flip whole picture'

Middlesbrough are now two points behind Coventry with five games to go as they head to The Den on Saturday.

Alex Neil's Lions have catapulted themselves into play-off contention after a shock win at Sheffield United on Tuesday, leaving them only three points adrift of Boro.

It is getting towards crunch time as games run out in the battle to make the top six but Carrick is calling upon his vast playing experience to recognise that his side must stay focused on the task in hand.

"For us, when we're in it, every little bit counts," he said. "We have to pull everything we can out of it.

"We can't let our mind wander and waste energy on things we can't fully control. I'm fully aware of what the situation is but I don't spend my time worrying about elsewhere.

"There is still a lot of football to be played. There are not many games [left] but it can flip so quickly - 10, 15 minutes in a game of football can flip the whole picture."