Boro can go to Swansea City on Saturday and claw their way back into the play-off picture.
And they can do it by sticking to their guns and playing attacking football.
That is the upbeat assessment of John Obi Mikel who remains positive despite a damaging run of five defeats on the spin which have badly dented Boro’s ambitions.
The 1-0 Riverside reverse to Bristol City on Tuesday left Boro in eighth spot and two points adrift of the play-off spots.
But the Nigerian midfielder insist the season is still alive.
“It’s bad but it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “There are more games to play.
“And things can change very quickly in this league. If you win one game and a rival team draws you are right back in it. We know that.
“If you win two games then suddenly you can be rolling again. That’s what we have to do.
“We have to keep fighting, we have to keep playing and it is still there for us. We all believe that.”
And Mikel believes Boro should hold their nerve and play with the assertive approach of the recent run.
Boro have played with attacking wing-backs and two up top in recent weeks and despite results have created a flurry of chances and Mikel says that style will give Boro a better chance of claiming the wins they need.
And he said it is a style that delivers what frustrated fans want to see.
“If we keep doing things right, if we keep playing this way and creating chances then I think we will start to score,” he said.
“On Saturday if we get a goal then I think more will follow, we can build on it and we can kick on.
“I think we should stick with what we have been doing, playing higher up the pitch.
“We are playing on the front foot, pushing forward, making chances. We want to do that. The fans want us to do that.
“Fans don’t want us to sit back and lump it forward. I understand you can do that if you get one, two or three goals up.
“But fans want us to play good football, attacking football and we have tried to do that the last few games.
“It is true that goals have not come – and I still don’t believe that – but we have played well and created chances.
“We have to believe in it and stick together as a team which is what we have done.
“And hopefully the fans will stick we us too. They have been doing that. Some of them are frustrated and that I understand but we have to keep going and hopefully we can change it around.”
Mikel insists the poor results have not dented the collective belief that Boro can still make the play-offs.
“I think the confidence is still there. The belief is still there,” he explained.
“When you are not playing well and not creating chances then obviously confidence would be very, very low.
“But that is not the case. We are dominating games and there have been so many chances.
“If we keep doing that then we all believe we can turn it around.”
Mikel understands the fans’ frustrations after the team were booed off against Bristol and said the best way to change the mood and change the table will be for Boro to make their chances count.
“We are not happy we are not winning games,” he said. “We feel sorry for the fans. And we trying our best to change it.
“We are putting in the effort, creating chances and the goals are just not going in. But we just have to keep going.
“Once we get that one goal then they will start coming, you will see.
“It is a different challenge now we outside the playoffs,” he added. “It needs a different mentality.
“We have to stick together, keep going, keep doing what we are doing, win the next one and take it from there.
“We need to keep doing exactly what we are doing but put one away and then hopefully the door will open for us.”