WHEN Riley McGree returns to Teesside after the current international break, the midfielder will have one thing on his mind - momentum.

Boro headed into the stoppage on a high after two emphatic victories over QPR and Luton, with Michael Carrick's side now just three points behind fourth-placed Burnley.

And McGree wants those two victories to be the start of a winning run that will make the rest of the Championship sit up and take notice.

Boro head for Oxford United after the international break before successive home games against Blackburn and Hull City - three teams who are currently in the bottom eight in the Championship form table.

Carrick and his players won't take any game for granted but are desperate to use last week's double success as a springboard.

"Definitely, we have to start stringing more wins together," said McGree.

"Consistency to win more games is what we’re all here for. We’re playing some really good football at the moment and I think the more consistently we play that good football and things start clicking, hopefully it’s only a matter of time before we start to get where we want to be and where we need to be."

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McGree was rested for the weekend win over Luton Town but his Boro importance has been crystal clear in the early months of the season. Boro have only lost one of the seven games McGree has started.

And the 26-year-old is delighted to have put last season's injury frustrations behind him.

He said: “I’m loving playing football again. Football is my life. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it. Day in, day out, week in and week out, I’m just really grateful to be out there doing what I love.”

McGree is currently away with the Australia squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and will be closely assessed when he returns at the back end of next week before head coach Carrick makes a decision on his team for Oxford. McGree was named on the bench after the October international break.

While the current stoppage came at a bad time for Boro, the break was welcomed by Oxford boss Des Buckingham, who felt his side were in need of a breather.

The U's have adjusted relatively well to life in the second tier after their promotion from League One but have won just one of their last 10 and lost to Watford last time out.

Buckingham said: "It comes at a really good time for us to be able to replenish because it’s not just the players we have missing at the moment, it’s those players that are being asked to play again, again and again.

“We already know the physical demands of this league, so to be able to ask them to not just play, but to perform consistently to those measures is very difficult, especially when they’re not used to it.

“It’s been a big jump for everybody. We’ve done as much as we can in the pre-season and in the season to prepare everybody for what’s to come, but when you’re having to back up a little bit more than you would’ve liked, it becomes a little bit more challenging.

“The break probably comes at a very good time for us, where it probably gives the players that have really been giving it some a bit of a break, and it gives us an opportunity possibly to welcome two or three players back after the break as well.”