MIDDLESBROUGH captain Jonny Howson says automatic promotion remains the aim on Teesside - though insists the focus has to be on the immediate challenges rather than looking too far down the line.

Howson impressed in what was just his fourth Championship start of the season in the weekend win over Millwall at the Riverside.

Sixth-placed Boro have lost just two of their last eight games but are now 11 points behind leaders Sheffield United and eight behind Leeds in second.

Howson, though, says it's far too early for Boro to have given up on the top two. He pointed to the ground Boro have made up in the last two seasons as evidence of how the table can change in the second half of the campaign.

In December last year Leeds were 10 points shy of the automatic promotion places but caught those above - only to then blow it in the final weeks of the season.

Howson said: "We're obviously better positioned than we have been in previous seasons but I'm a massive believer in not looking too far ahead because when you do that you can take your eye off what's right in front of you and that's when mistakes can happen.

"We're not in a bad position but we think we should be better off because of points we have dropped. We can take that as a positive as well.

"There's a long way to go and this is a vital spell because we have games coming really quick. We'll need the squad over this period.

"We're sixth but I believe we should be going higher rather than accepting where we are.

"It's only when you're top that you're not chasing someone. With this squad I don't see why we can't be going for the top two and chasing them down."

Asked whether that's still the aim at Rockliffe, Howson said: "I think so, yeah. We're not even halfway through the season and previous seasons we have caught up however many points with runs you put together.

"It's not just us, other teams have done it. With some of the points we've dropped, we're disappointed and think we should have more points on the table but it is what it is, that's the position we're in. Whether it's an individual or a team, you should always strive to improve."

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Howson missed the early stages of the season with an injury suffered in the Carabao Cup win at Leeds back in August. But he's now back to full fitness and was delighted to be back in the side last weekend.

After an impressive display, the 36-year-old will almost certainly keep his place for Saturday's trip to Plymouth.

He said: "I obviously look forward to playing and it was nice to be back in the starting line up and to get a win.

"It's been fine since. The injury spell was frustrating, I had a couple of setbacks along the way. It's never nice to be injured, I've not had any major injuries in my career, but I'm pleased in a way I still get frustrated because if I wasn't it shows your mindset is changing. But it's no different to previous injuries."

Next opponents Plymouth are winless in their last six games and are now second bottom, with pressure growing on boss Wayne Rooney.

Howson said: "There's no easy games and it's still the case that anyone can beat anyone in the Championship.

"We've been to Burnley and Leeds who are challenging at the top and went there to win. And we'll have that mindset for every game we play."