THIS time last year, Darragh Lenihan readily admits he was licking his wounds. Blackburn Rovers had just missed out on a place in the play-offs by two positions, and as the club captain approaching the end of his contract, the centre-half had a decision to make.

Should he stay at Ewood Park and hope that Blackburn could improve sufficiently to at least make the play-offs in the following season? Or should he seek pastures new, with Middlesbrough having signalled their interest in taking him to Teesside?

He opted for the latter, and as he looks ahead to this weekend’s play-off semi-finals, the 29-year-old can be content in the knowledge that he made the right choice. While Blackburn’s season is over despite their dramatic final-day win over Millwall, Middlesbrough head to the CBS Arena tomorrow lunchtime to take on Coventry City with a place at Wembley at stake over the course of the next two games.

“Missing out on the play-offs with Blackburn definitely played a part in me wanting to make the move, said Lenihan. “At that period in time, I just felt ready for a change.

“I’d spent 11 years at Blackburn, they’re a great club and I’ve got fond memories there, but I just wanted a change. I needed to mix it up, and it was a real drive to move to a club like Middlesbrough where I felt confident there could be a real promotion push.”

Three months into his Middlesbrough career, however, and he could have been forgiven for questioning the wisdom of his judgement. It is easy to forget now, with Boro flying high under Michael Carrick, but the start of the season was a horror-show with the Teessiders flatlining as the Chris Wilder era drew to an end.

Boro were languishing in 22nd position when Wilder lost his final game in charge, ironically at Coventry, and were still just 21st when Carrick’s first game as his replacement resulted in a 2-1 defeat at Preston.

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Fast forward six-and-a-half months and the current Boro team is unrecognisable from the struggling side that appeared to be heading towards League One, but while the benefit of hindsight makes it is easy to downplay the extent of the autumn’s troubles, Lenihan is adamant he was always confident the tide would turn.

“They were difficult times, but that’s football for you,” he said. “There are ups and downs, but I have to say, credit to the group for how they responded. When the gaffer came in, we were in a tough place. I remember that first game at Preston away, where we lost 2-1, but it just goes to show that the lads had resilience. We push each other.

“From the very first day that the gaffer came in, we believed that things could change. There was obviously the Nottingham Forest story last year – they were in a similar situation to where we were, or probably worse off, and they ended up getting promoted. Football changes quick, so there was never a sense of this not being possible.”

Clearly, the biggest thing that changed was the identity of the head coach, with Carrick taking to his first managerial role like a duck to water. The former Manchester United and England midfielder commanded instant respect because of his achievements of a player, but that would have quickly worn off had his managerial skills not been commensurate with his impressive CV.

“He’s (Carrick) definitely very hands-on,” said Lenihan. “Tactically, he’s always doing bits with the squad, and then outside of football, he’ll come and speak with you and see how everyone is. I’ve only had a few managers throughout my career, but given that it’s his first full-time managerial job, he’s been unbelievable to work with.

“We weren’t in too great a position when he came, but he’s transformed us and given us that belief to go and show what we can do. It’s credit to himself and his coaching staff for being able to do that because it was a tough environment to come into at the start. He’s helped us and given us that belief and confidence to go and push ourselves.”