For Michael Carrick, the result was a nice added bonus.

But the trip to Hibernian for this mid-break friendly for Middlesbrough was about much more than a victory.

And for the head coach, it couldn't have played out much better.

Not only did he watch his side win 2-0 and see Ryan Giles register more assists and Chuba Akpom again score, Carrick also took the opportunity to give some much-needed match minutes to the senior players who have spent the bulk of his opening weeks spectating as substitutes and fielded seven Academy youngsters over the course of the 90 minutes at Easter Road.

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Sam Collins, 19, and Jack Robinson, 21, both played for the first 45 minutes, while Sonny Finch and Yacou Traore, both 17, were introduced at the break, alongside Jack Hannah, who's a couple of years older.

Nineteen-year-old Pharrell Willis, who made his debut at Blackpool earlier this month, played 72 minutes before he was replaced by 17-year-old Luke Woolston.

And although another 17-year-old Nathan Fisher, a goalkeeper, didn't get on the pitch, he'll have still benefited from the trip.

And for Carrick, what happened off the pitch in Edinburgh was just as important as what happened on it.

This Championship stoppage provided the head coach with his first real quality period on the training pitches and a chance for him to get to know his squad that bit better, as people as well as players.

A few days away will have undoubtedly helped.

He said: “It’s been a really good week overall. Training-wise, it’s been good to have the group all back together and then to come here and win is a bonus.

"It’s good to have the spirit that we do in the squad. We came up to Edinburgh a day early and went out for dinner together on Thursday night and had a relaxed day which was nice.

"The young lads have come up with us, got some run-outs and played a big part in the game as well, which was great to see. It's small steps, and today is another one ticked off."

The minutes and experience for the youngsters will benefit Boro in the long-term but the opportunity for plenty of senior players to stretch their legs will hopefully aid the cause of the side in the here and now.

Despite the excellence of recent performances pretty much forcing Carrick into keeping the same, settled side, the head coach has stressed at every opportunity that squad depth will be vital when Championship play resumes.

With that in mind, outings for the likes of Duncan Watmore, Matt Crooks, Anfernee Dijksteel, Caolan Boyd-Munce and Paddy McNair were crucial, the latter the only Boro player to complete the full 90 minutes.

Watmore, playing his first game since suffering a knock to the head against Huddersfield in October, and Crooks, making his first start since hernia surgery, were the brightest Boro players in a low-key first half where no clear cut chances were created at either end.

Hibs, like Boro, made wholesale changes at the break and were the brighter of the two sides at the start of the second half, denied three times by fine saves from Liam Roberts. The hosts were on top, but soon discovered, like Championship sides before them, that you can't relax when Ryan Giles and Chuba Akpom are on the pitch.

Akpom had barely touched the ball in the opening quarter of an hour after his introduction but floated unmarked into the box and nodded home after being perfectly picked out by Giles, his fifth goal in six games since Carrick's appointment. This one might not count in his tally for the season but it maintained the striker's momentum.

The same can be said for the side as a whole, victory wrapped up four minutes after the opener when Akpom brilliantly countered and picked out Giles who this time put it on a plate for teenager Finch.

A day of positives for Carrick. A victory was the icing on the cake.

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