Championship play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough FC look at bolstering a 'couple of key positions' in January window

The Teessiders endured a troubled start to the Championship campaign and were propping up the table after a winless opening seven matches.

But a fine run of seven league victories in their last nine games has transformed their campaign, with Boro among a clutch of clubs who are in play-off contention.

Boro's form is akin to events last season when they started 2022-23 in terrible fashion, only to turn their season around in remarkable style.

Key loan signings in January in the shape of Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey galvanised their promotion quest, with Dan Barlaser also arriving from Rotherham United.

Boro are expected to target a couple of priority areas in the new year - at both ends of the pitch.

Michael Carrick has just two recognised strikers at his disposal in young forward Josh Coburn - who was almost loaned out to Plymouth Argyle in the summer - and Emmanuel Latte-Lath, who is relatively new to English football after joining in August.

At the back, Boro are likely to pursue another central defensive option, with Darragh Lenihan out for the season alongside Tommy Smith, with limited cover behind first-choice pairing Dael Fry and Paddy McCair.

Speaking to BBC Radio Tees, Scott said: "It's not always simple, but if you do it right, there are players to be had in January.

"We set the mark high last January. It was a good window. We've got to keep going now though, we've got to go one better! We will be trying to strengthen in January and, barring any disagreements in the next couple of days or so, we're ready to go. We're ready to sanction our plans for January.

"We were on it straight away. We didn't land everything we wanted in the summer. We tried, but there was too much to do in the timeframe. So we were working straight away, as soon as the summer window closed, on January and considering a couple of key positions we feel we need to help.

"We've started on that and we're effectively good to go."

On potentially specific plans up front and at the back, Scott added: "A striker is a position you're always looking to strengthen.

"I don't want to be disrespectful to Josh and Emmanuel (Latte Lath), who have done a really good job for us.

"Josh is only a young boy, he's done great for us, we think the world of him, he's one of our own and we want to see him develop, so we're not going to put anyone in his way. That's not how we work.

"We want to protect Josh but we also have a season to do our best for. So we will be looking but it has to be the right player."

On potentially looking for another centre-half, following the news regarding Lenihan, who has undergone Achilles surgery, Scott said: "It's never good to lose one of your senior boys. it's unfortunate.

"We wish Darragh well but Paddy has been playing and doing really well. I'm not saying we won't miss Darragh, course we will.

"It maybe focuses our mind in January, we might have to look to fill that spot and help the squad and Darragh will be back for next season. Injuries never help but it's part and parcel of football."