Middlesbrough have clear Championship goal as Michael Carrick discovers new undroppable

Livewire winger Ben Doak is rapidly emerging as the destroyer-in-chief who can take Middlesbrough’s season into overdrive.

The Liverpool loanee is a natural goal-maker – and will get even better as he continues to settle in among his fellow attackers. Doak was absolutely superb at Norwich City with his ball control and tantalising runs, playing a major role in two of the goals.

The teenager has fully justified Michael Carrick’s decision to bring him in during the summer and gave him his chance ahead of another potential match winner in Isaiah Jones. Jones will have been very disappointed to lose his place in the starting line-up. Now he will be left in no doubt what he needs to do if he is to force himself back to the forefront of Carrick’s team plans.

READ MORE: Tommy Conway absolved of blame as different Middlesbrough turning point is named

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Doak is potentially trickier on the ball than Jones and more penetrating. Once he improves the knack of picking out fellow attackers in the penalty area he will become an invaluable member of the side, potentially sparking a top six campaign. While Doak’s quality is there for all to see, it is great to see Boro finally putting away their chances.

We’ve had to wait until a quarter of the way through the campaign for the penny to drop. But three goals at Carrow Road – and it should have been four – have opened the door. Naturally, it is great to see Tommy Conway begin to fulfil the potential that Carrick saw in him when bringing him in from Bristol City at the start of the season.

Conway’s missed hat trick opportunity will have annoyed him but his two clinical goals should still do his confidence the world of good. The Scot has rubber-stamped Carrick’s decision to select him ahead of Emmanuel Latte Lath. He has set the standard which Latte Lath must endeavour to reach.

It is good that Carrick has options in the striker’s role this season. While Conway is the leading man, there should be openings during the course of the campaign for both men to be on the pitch at the same time.

After all, Latte Lath has proven himself in the past. When he returns to top gear in front of goal then Boro should be an attacking powerhouse. The lads would be gutted not to have beaten Norwich but then they must remember that the home goals came from two unbelievable strikes and a fluke.

It’s a racing certainty that Boro will not concede three similar goals in any match all season. Overall they did enough to beat the Canaries and would have done so on any other day. That’s why they should believe in themselves and take a positive approach when they line up against Coventry City at the weekend.

Another bonus for the team is that Carrick’s selection decisions are not just confined to the striker’s role and the right wing. With Marcus Forss and Dael Fry enjoying valuable pitch time for the Under-21 side, the competition for first team places is about to further increase throughout the side.

It’s difficult to believe that Matt Clarke is not in the side at this stage following his heroics towards the latter stages of last season. Yet the players in possession of the shirts deserve to hang on to their places if they are doing the business.

Hopefully the progress which has been made in the past two weeks will help to increase the togetherness and feel-good factor in the dressing room. In any case, Carrick tries to keep everybody involved by making regular substitutions in the second half of games.

It gives as many players as possible valuable pitch time and keeps the team fresh. Coventry’s arrival kicks off a series of fixtures in November which give Boro every chance of developing an unbeaten run. If they continue to take their chances they can finally break into the top six.