Town midfielder Jack Taylor is paying little attention to Middlesbrough’s recent form ahead of this weekend’s showdown with the Teessiders at Portman Road.

Boro appear to be faltering in their promotion bid over recent weeks, having failed to win any of their last six matches ahead of making the trip to Suffolk on Sunday lunchtime.

That spell has seen Kim Hellberg’s side, who have spent the majority of the season inside the top two, drop to fifth in the Championship table below both Millwall and Southampton.

However, the visitors would move level on points with the second-placed Blues if they claim all three points on Sunday and end Town’s 16-match unbeaten run on home soil that stretches back to October.

With how congested the top end of the table is ahead of the final weeks of the campaign, Taylor knows every side in the division has their threats and says each match should be treated with equal importance.

“If you look at it like that, form comes into play at some point,” he said. “We know the quality they’ve got, the players they’ve got and the run they were on before.

“They started off the season really well and when we went to their place, they were definitely the best side on the night so we owe them one. We’re going to attack the game head-on and hopefully we come out on the winning side.

“It’s a big game against a team that’s up there with us, but every game is as important whether you’re playing a team in the middle of the league or down the bottom.

“You don’t get extra points against Middlesbrough than you do against Charlton on Wednesday. We’re going to look forward to it, take the game head-on and hopefully we’ll come out with a win.”


One of the biggest talking points ahead of this weekend’s match is the unknown availability of Boro midfielder Hayden Hackney, who has missed the last four matches with a calf injury.

Hackney, who turned down the chance to join the Blues last summer, is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Championship and has recently been shortlisted for the division’s Player of the Season award.

“To be honest, I’m not too bothered if he plays or not,” Taylor said of Hackney. “He’s a great player and he’s done really well for them this season, he was one of their standout players that we were looking at. Whether he plays or not, we’re not too sure.

“On the pitch, I just go head-on and no matter who I’m playing against, I try and get the better of. Injuries happen in football, every club goes through it and sometimes you lose your best players. It’s just about how the squad players react and step up.”

Prior to kick-off, Town will be aware of how their promotion rivals have fared on Saturday afternoon with Millwall hosting Queens Park Rangers and in-form Southampton travelling to Swansea City.

Regardless, Kieran McKenna’s side know that 10 points from their final five fixtures will guarantee them a place in next season’s Premier League, and Taylor was asked whether he would prefer to play first or last over the course of the weekend.

The 27-year-old responded: “I don’t think it really makes a difference. You can’t affect results or anything that’s going on elsewhere, you’ve just got to worry about your job and what’s ahead of you. If we do our job, whether the other two teams win or not, so be it.

“We’ve got really difficult fixtures coming up and we’ve obviously got the game in hand, but you need to go and play them and win that game in hand.

“We’ve got to be bang at it, especially for the big game on Sunday, and that’s going to set us off in good stead if we pick up another three points there.”

Two years ago, the Blues were involved in a similarly tense battle for promotion where they were largely seen as the outsiders after surging through the Championship off the back of promotion from League One.

Premier League relegation last term means the feeling this time around is completely different, with Taylor admitting that the support from neutral fans has flipped entirely.

“If you look at it, it does,” he said. “Two years ago, everyone wanted us to go up as everyone loves underdogs and they wanted us to go up.

“Now it seems like they’d be happy if we failed. The more you block it out, the better. Hopefully by the 3rd of May, we’re there.”

Reflecting further, Taylor continued: “I wouldn’t say pressure, I just think it’s different circumstances. We’ve obviously spent a bit more than we did two years ago and the club has taken a massive step forward from where it was at.

“We were underdogs two years ago keeping up with Leicester and Leeds, we were pushing all the way with them. Everyone thought it was a matter of time before we’d drop off, but we didn’t.

“This year, most teams set up a bit differently against us. Especially away from home, they’re a bit deeper and we’ve got to try and break down that low block.

“It’s why we’re professional footballers, you don’t want to come to this stage of the season and be playing for nothing. We’re going to take it in our stride and attack it.

“The biggest thing is try not to get too emotional, because that’s when you start playing differently and things start going wrong.

“I know it’s hard, but try not to look at the league table and fixtures straight away, that plays a part. Just being as calm as you can, and hopefully the characters in the squad and the quality will shine through.”

Photo: TWTD