Covid may be biggest threat to Middlesbrough says boss Chris Wilder

However, the manager has warned their season could just as easily be “absolutely smashed” by Covid if their players are not “vigilant” over the festive period.

Saturday’s impressive 1-0 win over second-placed Bournemouth means Boro have won three of their last four games and are up to ninth ahead of the Boxing Day visit from Nottingham Forest, who sit two places above them.

When the former Sheffield United chief replaced the sacked Neil Warnock last month they sat 15th but have lost just once in the six games since.

Indeed, Boro could break into the top-six at the weekend but Wilder is mindful of how delicate the balance is, not just because of the notoriously tough competition in the second tier but the fact the pandemic is playing such havoc with fixtures.

Five Championship games were postponed at the weekend – 25 matches were called off across the top four divisions – as clubs were hit by the virus.

With the Omicron variant so rife, and Covid rates rising alarmingly, Wilder has urged his squad to be “smart” to ensure their recent progress is not undone.

“I don’t want anyone breaking the bubble; sacrifices have got to be made,” he said, after Andraz Sporar’s 53rd-minute penalty decided Saturday’s entertaining lunchtime contest.

“You make sacrifices anyway as a professional footballer or a manager or coach, working through this period.

“You do it because it’s your time to come to work and give the supporters what they want to see over this period.

“We all understand that, but it’s even more relevant now.

“If other teams are doing things differently, and doing what they need to do, that’s fine.

“If we’re unlucky, so be it. But we have to be so vigilant and on it and smart. That’s so important.”

Wilder cited the example of Rotherham United who endured several Covid outbreaks last term which led to a crippling late-season fixture backlog as they were fighting against relegation.

He explained: “We had a meeting in the week, and we’ve just had another one after the game where I’ve said, ‘Right, head down, this is our time, take responsibility for what you’re doing.

“You don’t have to go gallivanting all over the place. You’re professional footballers. Enjoy your weekend, but it’s really important’.

“It (Covid) can absolutely smash you if you’re losing players. Look at Rotherham last season.

“I know Paul (Warne) and I know his group, and the situation they had to deal with really cost them their Championship status.

“You just never know – every point and every game is really important.

“We need everybody as healthy as possible, and it’s important that the players and everyone else at the club take that responsibility on board.”

The players certainly took responsibility on Saturday as they conspired to deliver an excellent performance against one of the sides tipped for promotion.

Admittedly, Bournemouth are currently in a rut – this was a sixth successive winless game for Scott Parker’s side – and, at times, they looked like a side suddenly struggling for confidence.

Nonetheless, Boro, with Isaiah Jones brilliant down the right flank, Dael Fry so solid at the back and Duncan Watmore running himself into the ground up front, were well-organised and efficient for the majority of the contest.

Wilder is clearly making his mark and this was the most notable result of his short reign.

Left wing-back Neil Taylor was excellent on debut, the Wales international who had been without a club since being released by Aston Villa at the end of last season having been brought in by Wilder and showing here why he will likely see his short-term contract extended next month.

The 32-year-old offered composure on the ball, great positioning and another valuable outlet while Jones used his raw pace and trickery down the opposite flank.

Granted, Boro were still fortunate to be level at the break after Bournemouth spurned three golden opportunities, Jaidon Anthony, Dominic Solanke and Ryan Christie being the guilty parties.

But the hosts, who had started the brighter of the two sides, returned for the second period looking more assured and with greater zeal about their play.

Moreover, they eradicated the sloppiness that had been present in the first period when, too regularly, they were caught trying to play out from the back.

Having guided the Blades out of the Championship into the Premier League, Wilder knows all about the potential pitfalls and vagaries of this competition so he was not getting drawn into conversations about where Boro could end up in the new year.

“We just look to the next game; we can’t just be that team who runs up against Bournemouth and then not the next team,” he said.

“Consistency and consistency in performance is what is important for me. It’s a good day for the football club and a good result but we have to be ready for the next challenge.”

In Covid times, as Wilder has attested, that not only means by what they do on the training field but, just as importantly, what they do off it.