MICHAEL Carrick’s message in the dressing room was no doubt very similar to what he wrote in his programme notes.

“If we keep picking up positive results, let’s see where it takes us.”

Results elsewhere didn’t go Boro’s way on Saturday, with Norwich beating Ipswich in the early kick-off and rivals Coventry and Hull both picking up three points, but all that mattered to Carrick was what happened at the Riverside. And his side took care of business, extending their unbeaten run in the Championship to seven games and maintaining the pressure on the sides above.

Emmanuel Latte Lath was the matchwinner, his impressive double either side of half-time securing the points. That’s now 10 league for the season for the striker and five in nine since his return from injury and he deserved the standing ovation that came his way when he was replaced late on.

This was by no means Boro at their best. For long stages it was flat, but they've developed a timely knack of getting the job done and once again their success was built on solid defensive foundations. Rav van den Berg was back on the bench but wasn’t needed, with Jonny Howson and Matt Clarke notching another shut-out, the fifth in six games.

The gap to the play-off remains six points but Boro now move into a decisive trio of fixtures with momentum, belief and key players back. Hayden Hackney - like van den Berg - was an unused substitute. 

The coming opponents won’t be as kind as Swansea. They arrived on Teesside with little to play for in the league and lacking momentum, their only win in five being the South Wales derby success against Cardiff.

They did, though, settle quickly at the Riverside and if Jerry Yates was more clinical, they’d have led early on. Twice in the early stages he was teed up by Ronald Pereira Martins but he was let down by a bad first touch in the first instance and his height in the second, just not quite able to climb high enough to direct a header goalbound.

Pereira had the beating of Luke Thomas and four times in the first half of the opening period got beyond the Leicester loanee and got a cross in.

The liveliest attacking player on the pitch in the first half, though, was Latte Lath. He forced a good early save out of Carl Rushworth, tried his luck with another effort from the edge of the area and was first to react after Jones’ cross was only parried by the keeper in stoppage time.

With six defenders between himself and the goal, Latte Lath had no real right to score but he kept his cool and somehow managed to squeeze a shot in at the front post. It was the lift Boro and the Riverside needed at the end of a flat first half – but the lead was very nearly short-lived.

Within two minutes of the restart, Dan Barlaser – not for the first time – was too ponderous in possession and surrounded by attackers in white attempted a panicked back-pass to Dieng that flashed just past his own post. Barlaser was at it again five minutes later, playing Boro into trouble with a loose pass that was intercepted by Lowe, who was denied by Dieng.

Swansea probed but rarely threatened Dieng's goal and Latte Lath wrapped up the points with a clinical second 11 minutes from time, cutting on to his right foot and lashing into the top corner.