IT was less than a fortnight ago that Michael Carrick turned to his bench against Coventry and saw a sea of young faces looking out at him.

When Millwall boss Joe Edwards turned and glanced at Boro's bench at The Den on Saturday, one immediate thought crossed his mind: "wow".

Boro suddenly have major players back fit and Carrick suddenly has options. Imagine being able to leave Hayden Hackney on the bench!

It was a lack of depth which ultimately told against Coventry on New Year's Day. That's nothing against the youngsters who were among the substitutes - clearly hugely talented and hopefully with big futures - but the timing has to be right for these lads to get their chance.

At Millwall on the other hand Boro's stacked bench helped see out one of the most important wins of the season so far. On came Matt Crooks, a key figure over recent seasons, England Under-21 international Hayden Hackney, former Premier League defender Matt Clarke and international forward Marcus Forss. Lewis O'Brien, the league's star two seasons ago, was an unused substitute.

And to think this was Boro still without their first choice goalkeeper, two international defenders, Aussie duo Sammy Silvera and Riley McGree and their two recognised strikers. It's up-front where Boro clearly have a big decision to make between now and the end of the transfer window. The severity of the Emmanuel Latte Lath and Josh Coburn problems will dictate their next move, and Forss offered a timely reminder of his finishing ability at The Den, but opting against bringing in another striker would clearly be a risk given the injuries their first choice pair have battled this season.

In the absence of a striker, Carrick and Boro found a way to cope at Millwall and the depth that proved pivotal at The Den will strike fear into opposition in the second half of the Championship season.

"We felt that today," admitted Millwall boss Edwards of the strength of Boro's squad.

"I’ve felt it in other games as well.

“I remember being stood down there when we were hanging on to a 1-0 lead against Norwich and when I saw the subs they were bringing on I thought ‘wow, that’s some impact and it will now get harder in the final 20 to 30 minutes.’

“That’s something I felt today."

READ MORE:

Carrick had a feeling as well.

"I was looking around the changing room before the game and feeling we’ve made a bit of a jump in the last week," he said.

“The squad felt a lot stronger. It can still get stronger, but I thought we had a really good group. Getting Lewis back, Marcus back, Finn and Luke in. We obviously want to try and keep that."

Boro were victims of the London traffic, the two-mile journey from the team hotel delaying their arrival and kick-off and when Joe Bryan fired Millwall in front after 10 minutes, you feared the worst for Carrick's side, who looked drained on the back of their midweek Chelsea efforts. Which made the turnaround that followed all the more impressive.

Tom Glover played a key role with his hands and feet. He kept Millwall out when they were on top and it was his pass that broke the lines and set Sam Greenwood away in the build-up to the leveller.

Isaiah Jones had some frustrating moments but it's credit to his character that his head didn't drop. He's a matchwinner and helped to create the equaliser before scoring Boro's second. And despite not being introduced until the 88th minute, Forss still took the chance to demonstrate why his return is such a boost. His finish to secure the points was clinical.

Luke Ayling enjoyed a purposeful debut at right-back, allowing Carrick to revert to his favoured system, and there were flashes of the class that Finn Azaz will bring. Dan Barlaser again impressed.

In the first half of the season Carrick was forced to find solutions to problems. Now, with depth comes welcome dilemmas - and it's opposition bosses, like Edwards, who feel the force.