George Friend believes Boro have come a long way from their lowest point suffering defeat at the hands of Barnsley
The visit of Barnsley today offers Boro the chance to exorcise some ghosts.
Shell-shocked Boro were torn apart in a chaotic first half in the game at Oakwell in October and were three down as they were booed off at the break.
They fought back after the interval in the second half but the damage was done.
The red-faced side lost 3-2 and boss Tony Mowbray was axed within 48 hours.
Since then though Boro have come a long way, insists left-back George Friend.
“That was a real low point, definitely,” said Friend.
“That was the game that sadly lost Tony his job and there was a real sense of shame among the team about how we played and the manner of the defeat.
“Everyone expected Boro to beat Barnsley that day - we all did - and we failed completely. As a team we were very poor.”
Back then Boro were leaking goals at an alarming rate and slipping towards the danger zone but since the arrival of Aitor Karanka Boro have improved markedly.
“Since the last meeting with Barnsley we have changed as a team,” said Friend.
“We are more organised, we defend as a unit from the front and we have tightened up quite a bit at the back
“We have kept a lot of clean sheets and at times we’ve shown we can be a good team, particularly at home.”
But Friend admits some poor results against struggling sides remains an Achilles’ heel for Boro, last week’s disappointing home defeat to Millwall being a case in point.
“We have done well against the top sides but played worse against the lower teams this year,” said Friend.
“I can’t explain that but it has to be eliminated if we want to be a successful team.
“If you want to be up the top there’s going to be a lot of team lower than you.
“We have to start winning those games.
“We have to get the mentality right. No game is a gimme.
“There are phases where the other team is scrapping for dear life against us and we have to match that, we have to keep passing well, we have to stay on top and then take our chances.
“We have the players to be out-playing the likes of Millwall and it was bitterly disappointing that we fell short.
“Barnsley are in a similar position, fighting for survival, but we can’t have a repeat.
“And what happened down there in October can give us extra determination to give them a good thumping.
“I’d like nothing better than to set that straight and give fans a good celebration in the final home match this season.
“We have pride to play for too after poor displays and poor results against Millwall and then again at Reading.
“We know we have to do better to put things right.
“We should be beating teams like Barnsley and Yeovil and finishing on a high.
“It’s what the fans deserve. It is important to finish well. It sets the tone for summer.”
Meanwhile Boro’s Tony Bell is celebrating after being named Groundsman of the Year in the Championship for the second time in three seasons.
Tony heads a team of five who prepare the Riverside Stadium and Hurworth pitches.
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