Team Focus: Middlesbrough's Promotion Push Built on Solid Defence

It had to end at some point, but the manner was terribly cruel. Middlesbrough must have felt awfully sore to concede that injury-time goal to managerless Bristol City last weekend, which left them seconds from breaking an 88-year-old record for 10 consecutive clean sheets.  

There is plenty of consolation to be had by looking at the table, though. That lengthy defensive masterclass, running from the 3-0 defeat to Hull on 7th November right through the festive fixtures to mid-January has led them to a commanding position on top of the Championship table. With a six point cushion from them to third-place, a return to the top flight for the first time since 2009 is looking more likely with each passing week. 

And perhaps the best thing of all is that this is a team with no star players. Aitor Karanka's side is built on collective effort and organisation. If there is to be a star of the show, though, it has most likely been Daniel Ayala, their dependable rock at the back. But only two players feature in the WhoScored team of the season - industrious left-back George Friend and goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos. 

Konstantopoulos' story is one of rags to riches. He was telling it again last week before their trip to Ashton Gate, as featured in The Times by Mark Clemmit, but is worth recounting briefly. He arrived in the UK in 2003 with only a suitcase of clothes and signed for Hartlepool, who he had never heard of. From there he joined Coventry and spent unsuccessful spells on loan at Nottingham Forest, Swansea and Cardiff. He went back to Greece for some time - winning one cap for his national team - before Tony Mowbray, then manager at the Riverside, beckoned him back to Middlesbrough to provide cover in training. 

Now he is the country's most in-form keeper. Unsurprisingly his saves per game average is only the 13th highest at 3.1 per match, testament to the form of those in front of him.  

Nottingham Forest face the task of ending an even more formidable home run this Saturday. You must go back to 15 September to find the last time a league goal has been shipped at the Riverside. Only Brentford's Lasse Vibe and Bristol City's Joe Bryan have scored for visiting teams.  

Yet when it comes to goals Middlesbrough's top scorer Cristhian Stuani has a paltry six. David Nugent has five and another three players have contributed four each. The lack of a genuine goalscorer is offset by 12 players in total contributing. 

Therefore their interest in Ross McCormack makes plenty of sense. He has scored 17 times for Fulham - 5 in the league - and would go a long way to solving their biggest issue. However, the London club are reluctant to sell because they are under transfer embargo and only allowed to loan players in. Middlesbrough are understood to be willing to swap Kike plus a fee of around £9m. Kike has four goals, but has laboured in recent appearances. 

If that move does go through in an otherwise dull transfer window for Championship clubs, their odds of 1-7 to be promoted will shorten even further. Below them Hull and Derby remain the most likely with bookmakers. 

County's recent form has been sub-standard, though, with only two points from their last four games. Losing 3-0 to Birmingham last week was a major blow considering they had the chance to close the gap on Boro. It made for a good weekend for Hull, however, with the Tigers running out 6-0 winners over Charlton. 

While Burnley and Brighton will maintain hope of automatic promotion, the fight for a playoff place looks far more difficult to predict. Birmingham, despite losing Demarai Gray to Leicester, could still find themselves in the mix. Gary Rowett's team continue to fly slightly under the radar and have lost only once in their last eight games. Much like Boro, they have no reliable goalscorer, but 12 players have found the net. If they can acquire a tighter defensive record they could be a shrewd bet for a date at Wembley.

Will Middlesbrough be promoted to the Premier League as Championship winners this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below