Boro boys now plan to emulate Robson's heroes

The Boro midfielder was the Riverside hero on Tuesday night, coming on from the bench to net a dramatic winner with virtually the last kick of the game in the fourth minute of stoppage-time in a memorable 2-1 win against the Royals.

The Teessiders leapfrogged previous leaders Burnley to go two points clear at the top with five games to go.

It was the latest twist of a compelling race for automatic promotion, which has seen the leadership change hands seven times since mid-January, with Forshaw’s strike following Brighton midfielder Steve Sidwell’s stoppage-time winner at Nottingham Forest on the previous evening.

Just four points separate the top three of Boro, Burnley and Brighton, with fourth-placed Hull City – with a game in hand – still possessing a very slim hope of finishing in the top two if they win all of their remaining games and results elsewhere go for them.

The next instalment of the captivating race for the top twocomes tomorrow, when Brighton can move above the Clarets into second and a point behind Boro by beating visiting Fulham, while Hull must beat Wolves at home to maintain their outside chance of automatic promotion.

Boro, who face a huge game at Burnley on Tuesday and host Brighton on the final day of the season at a sold-out Riverside on May 7, are only focusing on what they can control during the home straight, starting at relegated Bolton on Saturday lunch-time.

On the task ahead for Boro, Yorkshire’s last second-tier champions when Bryan Robson’s class of 1994-95 won the old Division One title, Forshaw said: “We have all said from the start of the season that we are focused on us and if we are good enough, we go up.

“That’s the bottom line; if we continue to get the three points, then we go up and don’t have to worry about games like Brighton on Monday night or what Burnley are going to do at the weekend.

“If we are to go up, all we have got to do is win these (five) games.”

Adamant that Boro will not be getting carried away, despite the nature of Tuesday night’s last-gasp win at a raucous Riverside, Forshaw added: “It is only three points and there’s 15 more to play for. We are not getting carried away. It’s Bolton on Saturday and there’s five games to go.”

While it promises to be nothing less than the most tense of run-ins for Boro, who agonisingly fell short in their quest for the top two at the end of last season when they were pipped by Watford and Bournemouth before suffering play-off heartbreak against Norwich at Wembley, Forshaw says that he and his team-mates will be embracing the pressure.

Karanka’s side have certainly shown that in hauling themselves back to the top of the table by drawing upon their reservoirs of character in winning their past five matches, which have included last-gasp wins against top-two rivals Hull and now Reading.

The run is all the more commendable given that Boro’s season descended into a mini-crisis and touch of farce just a month ago after Karanka did not take charge of the 2-0 loss at relegation-haunted Charlton on March 13 after a much-publicised training ground bust-up with some senior players ahead of it.

Chairman Steve Gibson subsequently held clear-the-air meetings with Boro’s players and Karanka before the club announced that the Spaniard was staying – to the surprise of many observers who felt his future was destined to be away from Teesside.

Despite the decidedly rocky and bizarre moment in their season, Boro have dug deep and bounced back in emphatic fashion, with their spirit exemplified in their late win on Tuesday, according to Forshaw.

His strike was also a redemptive moment in a season which has seen him largely be a bench regular, playing second fiddle to captain Grant Leadbitter and key midfield pivot Adam Clayton. Forshaw was just happy to contribute in a potentially huge seasonal moment for Boro, who returned to the summit for the first time since March 4.

Forshaw said: “It has been a little bit frustrating (for me) at times. But we all want the same thing at the end of the season, whoever plays. We are a squad and a close-knit team who get on really well and we all want promotion.

“Whether it is me or whoever is playing, we are all pushing together. It (Tuesday) was a sign of wanting it and moments like this are what we have strived hard for all season.

“We never give up and have shown that in a few games this season. It is a good trait to have and we can be proud of that.”