Boro’s hopes of forcing their way into the play-off places suffered a major blow as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat at Millwall at the weekend.
The loss at the Den saw Michael Carrick’s side slip to eighth place in the table, and while they remain within two points of the top six, the gap will increase to four if Coventry City win their game in hand at Hull City this evening.
Whatever happens on Humberside, with four games remaining, Boro will almost certainly have to take all three points at the Riverside on Friday when they line up against a Plymouth side that gave their hopes of avoiding relegation a massive boost on Saturday when they came from behind to beat promotion-chasing Sheffield United.
Boro head to Sheffield Wednesday on Easter Monday, but for now, Carrick’s sole focus is on returning to winning ways against Plymouth. If his side can do that, he is confident their play-off push will be back on.
“At this time of the season, literally anything can happen,” said the Boro boss. “It can twist so quickly, so it’s still all on.
“It’s still all to play for, but winning games is what matters in the end and we need to do that quickly. If we can do that, then we’ll still have a chance. But we’ve got to win games.”
Carrick’s side failed to seriously threaten the Millwall goal at the weekend, with Lukas Jensen only really called into action in stoppage time when he saved from Marcus Forss.
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A marked improvement is needed on Friday, with anything other than a victory likely to realistically mean the end of the club’s promotion hopes.
“We’ve got to bounce back,” admitted Carrick. “There will definitely be a reaction from the boys. We’ve got to make sure it’s enough to win the game on Friday.
“It’s at that stage where every game and every result matters now. It can all turn quickly, but certainty we need to get back to winning quickly.
“We’re bitterly disappointed (at the Millwall defeat) – more than disappointed – because at this stage of the season we want to come into these games and pick up points.
“We all understand how important it is. The only way now is to get on with it for Friday. The season is still on. We’ve got to win enough games and pick up enough points to give ourselves a chance. We’ve still got a chance, we’re still in and around it.”
Last season, Boro finished outside the play-off places as they failed to win for three games in a row before ending the campaign with back-to-back victories over Cardiff and Watford.
Carrick is hoping to avoid a repeat, even if he concedes there are likely to be plenty of twists and turns in the next three weeks.
“We all know how quickly the Championship can change,” he said. “We’ve all been around it enough. It happens at both ends of the table. It is what it is. That’s what offers us belief and hope and encouragement.
“Anything can happen. It’s up to us though. We’ve got to pick up points and hope results elsewhere go our way. We’ll see. The important thing is that we bounce back quickly and are alive come Friday and ready for that challenge.”
