JONNY HOWSON has challenged his Middlesbrough players to do everything they can in the remainder of the season to ensure their good work of the last six months does not go to waste.

Boro have been transformed since Michael Carrick was appointed at the end of October, rising from the fringe of the relegation zone to the upper echelons of the Championship table.

Friday night’s defeat to Burnley means an automatic-promotion spot is now unlikely, but the Teessiders remain extremely well placed to make the play-offs, a scenario that would have been deemed more than acceptable had it been offered in the autumn.

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Tomorrow’s game at Bristol City is one of six remaining fixtures in the regular Championship campaign, and Howson will be urging his team-mates not to slacken off as they look to maintain the momentum they have generated under Carrick.

“It’s about finishing the job now,” said the Boro skipper, who recently signed a one-year contract extension on Teesside. “We know we’ve been very good up until now, with where we’ve come from to now. But we don’t want it to count for nothing.

“What will be, will be, but we’ve got to give it a right go, believe in what we’ve been doing until now, and I think if we put in performances like the majority of Friday night (against Burnley), then I think we’ll be alright.”

Tomorrow’s game at Ashton Gate is Boro’s second outing in the space of four days, but on the back of Friday’s disappointment as Burnley sealed their return to the Premier League, Howson is more than happy to be straight back onto the field.

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“We have a quick turnaround, but that’s what you want whenever you’ve had a disappointment,” he said. “You want that next game as quick as possible, and luckily we’ve got that on Monday.”

Carrick was quick to praise his players’ performance despite their defeat on Friday, with the Boro boss having been delighted with the way in which his side battled their way back into the game after falling behind to a first-half goal from Ashley Barnes.

Chuba Akpom’s 27th league goal of the season restored parity before Connor Roberts’ close-range finish sealed Burnley’s win, and Howson also agrees that there were plenty of positives to take from the game.

“We believed we could win the game,” he said. “We kept going right until the end, and Chuba was close with a header right at the end. In the second half, I don’t think barring the goal that there was much in it.

“We pressed them well and stopped them playing for large parts, and you have to appreciate they are a very good side who haven’t lost in however long it is. Barring the result and the celebrations, there are positives we can take.”

Howson was quick to praise Burnley’s achievements in securing promotion with seven games of the season still to play, but admitted it was still difficult to watch Vincent Kompany and his players celebrating in front of more than 2,000 travelling fans.

“Congratulations to Burnley, they deserve it,” he said. “But it hurts seeing them celebrate, I’m not going to lie.

“We want to use that as fuel because it’s something we’re striving to have and, hopefully, we’ll have some of that come the end of the season.”