Tees

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is happy his side remain in the hunt for automatic promotion after a more positive few days for the club.

They scored five goals in a league game for the first time since November 2024 as they thrashed Watford.

With Ipswich Town failing to win at West Bromwich Albion, Boro could still finish second although that is dependant on the Tractor Boys failing to win at Southampton on Tuesday night.

But after failing to win for seven matches, successive home wins over Sheffield Wednesday and now the Hornets have returned confidence to Boro's ranks.

They also banished issues at the Riverside, where they had not won a game since 31 January.

Now they will have to wait and see if anything is riding on their trip to Wrexham next Saturday or whether their sole focus will be on the play-offs.

"I talked about if we won the two home games, it has a big opportunity to take it to the last day, which we've done," Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees.

"It was also one thing to secure the play-offs, that we have done. Winning at home, that we have done. Scoring six goals, only conceding one - so that was a lot of important things going into this week.

"And we've also shown quality in the second half, in how good we can be, and in the game at Ipswich. So, it's a lot of things that have been very good with this week.

"There is a lot of energy going into the last days of the season, and I'm really, really looking forward to it."

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg said he was determined to take his side's automatic promotion hopes to the final day of the Championship season.

Boro go into the penultimate game, at home to Watford on Saturday (12:30 BST), in fifth place and trailing second-placed Ipswich Town by three points.

The Teessiders are also three behind Millwall, who are third, but level with fourth-placed Southampton on 76 points.

However, with the Saints hosting Ipswich on Tuesday, and at least one of those sides certain to pick up points, Boro must win at the Riverside to stand a realistic chance of going to Wrexham and being involved in a final-day shootout to go up behind champions Coventry City.

"We need to try to win our game and hope that can take it to the last day of the season," Hellberg said.

"If you're in it the last day of the season, all things can happen. In the last 90 minutes, a lot of things play a part in who succeeds or not. We're still in it to try to get there."

Victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday ended a barren run of seven games without a win for Boro, who had slipped from second to fifth.

But they will again be without Hayden Hackney, who has not played since 14 March because of a calf injury, for the visit of the Hornets.

However, Matt Targett, who went off a few minutes early against Wednesday sparking worries of an injury, is fit for the lunchtime kick-off.

After Middlesbrough got back to winning ways against Sheffield Wednesday, we asked whether you thought Boro were still in the fight for automatic promotion or if you're gearing up for the play-offs.

Here are some of your responses:

Stephen: A win is a win, regardless of how it comes about. We need an out-and-out striker.

If we had we would have been pushing Coventry even harder and be in a good, strong second place, not worrying about the teams behind us. Fingers crossed for the two last games, win and see how it goes.

Andrew S: There's still hope. We have had bad patches before. If we win every remaining game this season then we will be in the Premier League next season and we will keep Hayden Hackney.

Hopefully we will go up and stay up and have another run like we did in the 2000s when we were in Europe and reached the UEFA Cup final.

Andrew: Sadly the poor home form since February has cost Boro automatic promotion. Having all four teams head into the final day on 79 points would be incredible drama, but can't see it happening.

Ian: Little chance of top two. We have an injury problem - our strikers are fit! You wonder if we would be better not playing with strikers, roll on the play-offs.

Gareth: It's a shame that the wheels seem to have come off right at the end of the season. For a while I dared to dream that we were going up. So hoping for one more crack at the play-offs! Still, immensely proud of the Boro this season, and almost reminiscent of our famous UEFA Cup run.

Philip: Lack of firepower has been our down fall.

Mike: It's ridiculous that it should come to this - relying on other clubs to drop points. We had automatic promotion in our grasp for three quarters of the season and then were found out through lack of a good striker. Goals win games. Simples.

Middlesbrough will hope to keep their automatic promotion bid alive as they host Watford on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Boro won their first home game in seven league matches when Morgan Whittaker scored the winner against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday.

But they are still three points adrift of the second spot with four teams all vying for the coveted second automatic promotion position.

• Middlesbrough have lost each of their last three league meetings with Watford, their longest ever losing run against the Hornets.

• Watford, 1-0 winners in this exact fixture last season, are looking to win back-to-back league visits to Middlesbrough for the first time since April 1992 (3 in a row).

• Middlesbrough have only won their final home league game in two of the last six seasons (D2 L2), although one of those was against Watford in 2023-24 (3-1).

• Watford have lost their final away league game in nine of the last 10 seasons (D1 – v Sunderland in 2022-23) since a 2-0 win at Brighton in 2014-15.

• Watford have lost each of their last three league games, all without scoring; outside of the top-flight, only from December 1971 to February 1972 have they ever lost more in a row without reply (7)

Okay, they made rather hard work of it, but Boro's winless streak at The Riverside is over after Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Barring something truly extraordinary in the final two games of the season, which would need Boro to lose at home to Watford and at Wrexham on the final day, and two wins and a swing of more than a dozen in goal difference from the chasing pack, Boro are play-off bound, at least...

But they are also three points behind second place and the final automatic promotion place.

Six points to finish the season would make things very interesting, especially as two of the three sides in the race face each other next Tuesday as Southampton entertain Ipswich.

So how are you feeling, Boro fans? Are you plotting which play-off match-up would suit you best, or holding out hope that Millwall, Ipswich and Saints will drop points?

Click here to have your say.