A positive result to go with the four points his side have taken from Hull and Fulham at the Riverside Stadium in the last fortnight would serve to increase optimism that they could yet get themselves out of trouble.
Stewart Downing admitted Boro's ability to get results against top teams and then fail to do so against the relegation fodder is a source of intense frustration.
Stewart Downing: "Even this season, we have tended to play quite well against the big teams. United away, we played quite well and lost late on; Liverpool away, we should have won late on; Liverpool at home, we won; and Chelsea, we lost 2-0 late on to set-pieces.
"We have proved we can do it against the big teams, but no disrespect to the others, it's against the teams around us that we have struggled.
"Hopefully, we can put that right in the next five games."