Middlesbrough picked up a point on the road on Saturday afternoon, as they held automatic-promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town to a 1-1 draw.
Michael Carrick‘s side needed to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive but they were pegged back almost immediately after Emannuel Latte Lath took the lead.
Notwithstanding that, in isolation, a point away at Portman Road certainly isn’t a bad result, particularly given the fact Town have only lost their once this season.
Boro now reside in ninth, eight points adrift of sixth-placed Norwich City, who defeated Preston North End 1-0 on the weekend.
One Middlesbrough ace, who has been in impressive form of late, fell below his usual standards.
Matt Clarke not at his best v Ipswich Town
Matt Clarke has been producing some phenomenal displays in recent weeks but he wasn’t at his best against Ipswich.
“A tougher afternoon for the recently-brilliant centre-back,” TeesideLive journalist Craig Johns wrote.
“He looked a little off the pace from the off with a few slack passes and didn’t cover himself in much glory for the Ipswich equaliser.
“Failing to anticipate Luongo’s late run, Clarke didn’t deal with the corner, expecting it to run beyond him and out. Didn’t enjoy the pace of Hutchinson cutting in from the Ipswich right either. Unlucky not to win it for Boro late on.”
Johns gave Clarke a five-match rating, which was the lowest score across the board.
Attention now turns to next season
A top-six finish is now pretty much of the picture for Boro, who will be turning their attention towards next season.
With the summer transfer window fast approaching, plans should already be drawn up and ready for June.
The remaining three games can be a useful period for Carrick and his coaching staff to make final decisions on what positions need strengthening.
Further, he should look to bed some of his young talent in to see what kind of level they are able to perform at.
Middlesbrough are next in action on April 22, as they welcome top two chasing Leeds United to Riverside Stadium.
Whilst Boro admittedly don’t have a lot riding on it, they’ll no doubt want to end the season well to carry momentum over to August.