GEORGE FRIEND has urged his Middlesbrough team-mates to take confidence from their position in the Championship’s top three ahead of their forthcoming home games with two of their leading promotion rivals.

Boro entertain sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers at the Riverside this weekend, with league leaders Derby County due to travel to Teesside a fortnight later.

The two games, which sandwich a trip to Millwall, will offer a stiff test of Boro’s promotion credentials with both Blackburn and Derby having hit some decent form in recent weeks.

Boro’s own performances have been every bit as strong though, and after a run of just one defeat from the last 13 Championship matches, Friend insists there should be no inferiority complex no matter who the Teessiders are lining up against.

“Everyone will be looking at the table, and it’s looking good,” said the full-back. “But it’s one game at a time and the manager drills that into us. We do just look at the next game.

“But it’s better to be where we are rather than ten places further down. You have to enjoy being up here and take pride it, and have the confidence knowing we deserve to be there.”

Last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Wigan ensured Boro remained on the fringe of the automatic promotion places, with the game marking a personal landmark for Friend.

The 27-year-old made his 100th Middlesbrough appearance at the DW Stadium, having joined the club from Doncaster Rovers in the summer of 2012.

Since then, he has established himself as Boro’s first-choice full-back and developed into one of the most reliable and highly-rated defenders in the Football League.

“A hat-trick and bicycle kick from me would have been a nice way to mark it, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “We always knew it was going to be a hard game with the manager (Malky Mackay) coming in, which will probably result in a revival for Wigan.

“I thought we were poor in the first half, but we got better in the second half and Patrick (Bamford) took his goal brilliantly. We should have had a penalty at the end to nick it, really.

“We weren’t our usual selves in the first half, they came out with energy, but personally I’m really proud to get 100 games under my belt. I’ve never done it for a club before, so I’m really pleased.”

The major downside to the afternoon from a Middlesbrough perspective was the yellow card received by Adam Clayton that will spark a one-match ban.

The booking was Clayton’s fifth of the season, and means the influential midfielder will miss Saturday’s game with Blackburn.

“He is an important player for us, but we have other players more than ready to play on Saturday,” said Boro head coach Aitor Karanka. “We have Milos (Veljkovic), we have Dean Whitehead, we have different players and that allows us to change the shape.”

* Former Middlesbrough favourite Juninho will be the guest of honour as he returns to the Riverside for Saturday's game with Blackburn.