LUKE AYLING claims performances are more important than points at this stage of the season – and the Middlesbrough full-back is satisfied with the way his side have started the campaign.

Boro dropped to 12th place in the Championship table when they lost at Sunderland last weekend, and will be looking to start climbing back towards the top six when they host Stoke City at the Riverside on Saturday.

The Teessiders have played reasonably well in all of their league matches so far, dominating the possession count in all six of their games.

However, they have only claimed two victories, with disappointing home draws against Portsmouth and Preston being interspersed with away defeats at Derby and the Stadium of Light.

Michael Carrick claimed his side deserved to have more points on the board when he spoke in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s Wear-Tees derby defeat, and Ayling agrees with his head coach’s assessment.

However, having been in the Championship long enough to know that league positions count for little in September, the full-back is still able to take satisfaction from the way in which Boro’s new-look side are playing following their summer alterations.

“I think we've had a good start in terms of playing some really good football,” said Ayling, who was part of the Leeds United team that was promoted under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2019-20 season.

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“We should probably have a few more points on the board than we have, because we've been playing some good football. But I think we can be happy with the early performances and how we've put our style on the pitch. We're pleased with that.”

Last season, Leicester dominated the first half of the Championship season, establishing a lead that was never overturned. Ipswich Town followed them into the top-flight, finishing with a mammoth 96 points, and Southampton were also promoted via the play-offs.

The current campaign remains at a formative stage, but the early evidence suggests there is unlikely to be a runaway champion this time around. The three relegated clubs – Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton – are all having teething problems, and while West Brom and Leeds look strong, they do not yet look as strong as some of the division’s previous winners.

“I think a lot of the teams in this league will look at the table this year and feel it's a good chance to get promoted,” said Ayling. “We're no different. We think we've played good football, and I think once we start scoring our goals, we will move up the table.”

Boro’s failure to score at the weekend ultimately meant they were unable to take anything from the Stadium of Light, with Chris Rigg’s first-half winner condemning them to a 1-0 defeat.

The Teessiders had plenty of the ball in the second half, but failed to record a single effort on target despite having a deficit to try to overturn.

A failure to convert plentiful possession into goalscoring opportunities has already become a familiar story this season, particularly when faced with opponents who are happy to cede possession and territory in order to sit deep and play on the break.

There is every likelihood Stoke will adopt similar tactics on Teesside this weekend, but while there has been a clamour for Carrick to come up with a ‘Plan B’ in the wake of the defeat to Sunderland, Ayling maintains it would be wrong to veer too far away from Boro’s preferred playing style.

An odd tweak here and there might be necessary, but on the whole, Ayling wants his team-mates to focus on sticking to the possession-based principles that have been drilled into them.

“We are sure of how we play, and we're going to keep playing our way,” he said. “Hopefully, we can then start moving up the league.”