MICHAEL Carrick wants his Middlesbrough players to use the dramatic victory at Hull City as a "springboard" and kick on in the Championship promotion race - starting today against Cardiff at the Riverside.

Boro have a great opportunity to build on their midweek win against the lowly Bluebirds, who head for Teesside second bottom in the table and with one win in their last 11 games, though they have picked up four points from their last two outings.

Carrick will be taking nothing for granted but hopes the feel-good factor around Rockliffe over the course of the last 48 hours after the Hull win can fuel his players to another crucial victory.

“You’ve got to feed off that and use it as a springboard," said Boro's boss.

"It doesn’t necessarily mean everything will be rosy, but it gives us a great feeling and gives the lads more confidence.

"We’ve got to use that. Moments like that are why we all love the game. But we’ve got to move on quickly as well as enjoying it."

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After conceding nine goals in four games over the festive period - leaking three against Plymouth, Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday - Carrick is delighted to have strung together successive clean sheets.

"As a team, to win 1-0 in that manner against Hull, we looked really solid in the most part, pressed really well and then, in the second half in particular, looked dangerous and controlled the game," he said.

"Collectively it was a really good performance away from home on a difficult pitch. Obviously keeping a clean sheet was important because it meant one goal was enough for us. We’ve got to make sure we use that now."

Cardiff boss Omer Riza said: "They have got a very strong squad and invested a lot of money in their squad and they have good players in every area of the pitch and players who can come off the bench.

"It'll be a tough game, we know the threats they pose in attack, both when they have control and when they counter. They are things we have to look out for. Hopefully we can manage it and impart our own imprint on the game ourselves."