Boro's seven remaining fixtures will be the biggest games so far of the players’ lives, according to Ben Gibson.
Aitor Karanka’s promotion hopefuls go into a crucial Easter double-header third in the Championship table, level on 72 points with Monday’s opponents Watford, who are second, a point behind leaders Bournemouth.
It’s all still to play for in one of the tightest promotion battles since the play-offs were introduced in the late 1980s.
Before Boro can worry about the Hornets’ threat, they’ve got to get better of Wigan on Friday and Gibson is sticking to the old adage of taking one game at a time.
Asked about the run-in, he said: “It’s the biggest seven games for all of us as individuals - and as a team - of our lives so we’ve got to take them one by one, as we have all season starting with Wigan on Friday and I can’t wait to get back to it.
“It’s massive but we’re only looking to Friday. We need to get three points at home to Wigan and then we will look to the Watford game.
“We’ve got to do the job, hopefully the fans will come out and get behind us and roar us to victory.
“I am looking forward to Wigan, I can’t wait, it’s a good opportunity for us to get three points and get back in the top two so that’s what we are going to try and do.”
Ben Gibson celebrates the win over Derby with Grant Leadbitter
The good news for Boro fans is the fact that Gibson has declared himself fit for the Easter programme.
He was allowed to sit out the training sessions prior to the under-21 international between England and the Czech Republic last Friday as a precaution after feeling a twinge in his hamstring.
But the centre-back got a useful 77 minutes under his belt in Monday’s friendly against Germany at the Riverside.
“I’m physically fine,” he declared. “I had a couple of days off last week to rest my muscles and recover because I’ve played a lot of football.
“I have had a hamstring issue before and my hamstring felt a little tight after the Bournemouth game so the understanding was I would meet up with England as long as I was monitored and looked after and that’s what they’ve done.
“The staff are fantastic with me and now I am ready to play.”
Boro’s last match was one to forget with Bournemouth romping to a 3-0 win at the Goldsands, but Gibson is backing the players to bounce back in style.
“That wasn’t a typical Middlesbrough performance,” he insisted. “We weren’t at the races individually or as a team, we were miles off it, everyone knows that.
“It’s the first time I think everyone has seen us like that this season, it was so untypical of a Middlesbrough performance but when we have been beaten or haven’t played well we’ve always bounced back well this season so let’s make sure we do the same against Wigan and get three points.”
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