Michael Carrick is convinced Middlesbrough have a “great chance” of forcing their way into the Sky Bet Championship play-off picture after boosting their hopes with victory over QPR.
Boro beat the Londoners 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday evening to close to within three points of sixth-placed Coventry with nine games remaining, the next of them at Luton on Saturday.
Asked about the play-off picture afterwards, head coach Carrick said: “They’re still there. We’ve got to obviously keep that opportunity alive. Listen, it’s so close and Saturday’s another important game.
“We’re going to be saying that now until the end of the season. There are probably going to be twists and turns and we’ve just got to keep plugging away.
“We’re still in it, we’ve got a chance – we’ve got a great chance, actually – and let’s just see what happens.”
Boro effectively had the game won by the 58th minute thanks to Tommy Conway’s first-half strike and a second from Anfernee Dijksteel, but Steve Cook reduced the deficit with 10 minutes remaining.
The hosts had to survive a nervy conclusion, during which Rangers goalkeeper Paul Nardi might have snatched a point at the death.
Asked if Nardi was disappointed not to have scored with his last-gasp header, QPR boss Marti Cifuentes said: “Yes of course, but at the same time we cannot rely on scoring in the last second of the game from a long throw-in with the keeper.
“I think that was an extra. Again, that shows the resilience and the mentality of this team, that we’re going to chase until the last second of the last game of the season because that’s the kind of mentality that we have in the group.”
Boro’s win was all the more welcome as Carrick went into the game without a single fit central defender and was forced to field full-back Neto Borges and 36-year-old midfielder Jonny Howson – who was making his first start since December because of a calf injury – at the heart of his back four.
The former Manchester United midfielder said: “Jonny should never have played, to be honest, tonight. It was a massive, massive calculated gamble, however you want to put it.
“Even being on the pitch sums him up in terms of his attitude and his mentality to put himself forward and say that he was willing to take that risk, willing to do whatever it took.”
