Boro's players are relishing the packed fixture schedule and can’t wait to be unleashed at Birmingham, says striker Patrick Bamford.
Aitor Karanka’s side return to Championship action on Wednesday, only 72 hours after the gruelling 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Arsenal.
The match at St Andrew’s marks the start of a hectic spell that sees Boro play four league matches in 10 days - but Bamford insists he and his Boro teammates actually prefer the demanding schedule.
“It’s not too bad,” Bamford said. “When you get to the end of the month having played two games each week then you feel bit tired, but I actually prefer it that way.
“There’s nothing better than playing a game. Sometimes it seems like you’re waiting forever to play if there isn’t a game during the week, so it’s something as a player that you like.
“It can be tiring, particularly after a game like Arsenal when you don’t have much of the ball. It will have drained a few of the lads’ legs but we’ll be back on it for Wednesday.”
The Championship promotion race continues to heat up with Bournemouth taking advantage of Boro’s FA Cup exploits to take top spot on Saturday.
But their 1-1 draw with Huddersfield means they are only above Boro on goal difference, having played one match more.
Derby could go top of the Championship tonight if they win at Rotherham, but whatever that result, Boro know a win at Birmingham will see them return to the summit.
“I was watching the results on the train down to London on Saturday,” Bamford admitted.
“When I saw Bournemouth were 1-0 up then I thought they would run away with it, but it was nice to see them drop points.
“We’ve now got to pick ourselves up and Wednesday is a way for us to redeem ourselves.”
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