Howson made his first Championship start for three months against QPR on Tuesday night, returning ahead of schedule and helping out in the unfamiliar role of centre-half after a string of injury setbacks in the last couple of weeks.
Boro’s captain admits it’s been a “frustrating” season, with injuries limiting the 36-year-old to just six league starts.
But he had no concerns whatsoever about rushing back into action on Tuesday, despite the fact he’d done very little training with the first team.
He said: “That’s why you put the work in, when there’s an opening, when you’re called upon, you manage to keep yourself at a level of fitness that means you can be ready.
“The return may have been a bit sooner than ideal, but it’s about helping the team. That’s what drives me on, and when you come back, you want to come back to a winning side.
“I feel fine after it. It was pushed ahead of schedule, but that’s the circumstance. I remember a time at Norwich when I had something similar and I just see that as part of my job.
“If I can offer something out there and help the team, I’ll always make myself available. This was no different.
“It’s just my job and part and parcel of it. You put in all the hard work in the gym for nights like this. That’s what motivates you, and obviously to help the team as well.”
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With Rav van den Berg, George Edmundson and Dael Fry all sidelined through injury, midfielder Howson partnered left-back Neto Borges in the heart of the defence against QPR and it will likely be the same again at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
Borges had a slow start at Boro after his summer arrival from Clermont but has been superb in recent weeks and Howson was full of praise for the Brazilian.
“He’s such a nice guy, but when he steps over that line, he shows that passion and he shows that aggression,” he said.
“It’s nice to see. It’s great playing alongside him because he competes for everything. When you do that, you always give yourself a chance.
“I thought he was terrific (on Tuesday) and he certainly helped me a lot. He’s that naturally more defensive minded and he was brilliant for me.
“It was short notice and it was makeshift. It’s neither of our natural positions. But sometimes that’s what you’ve got to do as a footballer.
“You have to be able to adapt – whether that’s different formations, different positions, different ways of playing. That’s the role of a professional footballer and you’ve got to be able to do that at times.
“Obviously we all know the situation with the position at the minute, but we’re professional, so we’ll continue doing whatever is asked of us.”
The QPR victory was crucial because it closed the gap on the top six to three points, but also to lift the mood on Teesside after the desperately disappointing showing in the weekend defeat to Swansea City.
Howson said: “We always want to entertain the fans, but I think for yourself as well, when you’ve had such a disappointing result and performance like we did on Saturday, sometimes you have to take a look at yourself, and do it for yourself.
“It was a good reaction. It shows there’s hunger there, and it shows there’s disappointment on the back of Saturday. But we have to stay level-headed, keep grounded and focus on another game on Saturday. If I’m needed again, I’ll do whatever is asked of me. That won’t ever change.”
It’s been an underwhelming campaign for Boro but they are still in with a shout of a top six finish, and Howson remains as hungry as ever.
He said: “Not just in football, but anything in life, you keep going and you never give up. If you want to achieve something, you keep going and keep striving to do the best you possibly can.
“To me, that should never change. Sometimes hard work and doing it day in and day out, people expect it. But it’s also a lot of talent to be able to do it consistently.
“If you apply yourself right and are professional about your job, you give yourself the best possible opportunity, and that should always be the case.
“We’re trying to get into the play-offs, the points are what they are, but, from my point of view, the way you apply yourself and go about your business should never change, irrespective of whatever you’re going for.”