IN an ideal world, Middlesbrough's players will enter the dressing room at half-time at Plymouth's Home Park this afternoon ahead and well on course for three points in the Championship.

But if the score is level or even if Boro find themselves behind, there'll be no signs of panic at all among the players and staff, for it's in the second half of games this season that Michael Carrick's side have truly come into their own.

In an alternate Championship table only taking into account the second half of games this season, Boro are fourth. Leicester, unsurprisingly, would be the runaway leaders, with Leeds and West Brom having only marginally better records than Carrick's side.

In their four most recent Championship wins, against Cardiff, Sunderland, Birmingham and Norwich, all of Boro's nine goals have been scored in the second half. And they've been equally as impressive after the break in cup games. They scored two late winners at Bolton and came from behind at Exeter in midweek, scoring all three of their goals after the restart.

"It's good to know we're capable of doing that," said Carrick.

But why is it that Boro have shown themselves to be something of a second half team?

"There are varying reasons for that, maybe how we play, maybe the amount of possession, maybe it's a case of wearing teams down, whether it's game control, whether it's us becoming stronger as the game goes on. There are a lot of reasons.

"What it probably does do, as it did last season, is it shows that whatever the circumstances we feel we're always in the game and we're capable of scoring goals towards the end of the game."

That was the case against Birmingham City recently, when Boro dominated against Wayne Rooney's side but had to wait until the last minute to get the breakthrough they deserved.

Physically, Boro's ability to get better as games go on is credit to the conditioning of the players and the work of the club's fitness and sports science specialists. But there's also a psychological aspect: the ability to keep calm in-game and to stick to the plan.

"There are two sides to it," said Carrick.

"There's the mental side. You talk about belief a lot and confidence. You have to keep believing in what you're doing. It's not always easy to do that, especially if it's a tight game. The boys, that side of things, have shown they can get the rewards in the end, to keep believing, keep trying, to stick to the plan and the principles.

"I think a lot of it as well is the squad and the boys that are on the pitch finishing the game just as much as the boys starting the game and how important they can be. Whether that's changing it at half-time, whether it's changing it after an hour or 70 minutes, it gives us a real impetus at the end of the game."

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There is, of course, another explanation: that Carrick's has proven himself to be the master of the half-time teamtalk. But the head coach doesn't want to take the credit.

"Players win you football matches," he says.

"We try to give them the message and a positive message at times, then we need to give them other messages at other times.

"For me it comes down to that belief and being together and the boys have been fantastic at that. Whoever has started or finished, they all have a huge part to play."

And while Boro's second half record is something Carrick is encouraged by, it also presents a challenge.

"Of course we want to start games better," said Boro's head coach.

"We don't want to have to chase games, we want to be ahead and we want the first half to be just as good as the second."