Aitor Karanka: 'Boro must be more clinical to sustain Championship promotion push'

Boro must be more clinical in front of goal if they are to sustain their Championship promotion push, admits head coach Aitor Karanka.

Ten points from a possible 15 over the busy Christmas period was a decent return for the Teessiders, but the stalemate at Blackburn last time out saw Boro slip five points behind Championship leaders Bournemouth.

Last weekend saw Boro brush aside League One side Barnsley in the FA Cup, but it could have been different had Conor Hourihane’s free-kick crept under the bar shortly after Adam Clayton’s dismissal.

Karanka is well aware that Boro could have paid the price at Oakwell and fears further points could be dropped if his team don’t finish teams off at the earliest opportunity.

“I think the last game against Barnsley was good for us to learn,” Karanka said.

“We could have beaten them in the first half 3-0 or 4-0 easily, but then had they scored the foul when (Adam) Clayton was sent off we would have been in trouble.

“We need to learn and score the opportunities we have. But our thinking now is about Reading, not Barnsley.

“(Reading) beat us in the last game and when we played (at the Madejski Stadium) last season, so we know we’re going to be playing against a good team.”

One man who should feature is winger Albert Adomah, who was left out of Ghana’s squad for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

The flanker was initially named in Avram Grant’s 31-man squad for the competition which gets underway this month, but will now stay on Teesside.

Karanka admitted the availability of Adomah, who was Boro’s top scorer last season with 12 goals, is a big boost.

“It was very big news because Albert is not just a good player, everyone knows the player he is, but he’s a very important player for us in the changing room and in the training sessions.

“He’s a winner and I like him, and it’s good news for us.”