WHEN Adam Clayton moved to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2014, he joined a club that had finished 12th in the Championship in the previous season.

His first game resulted in a 1-0 defeat at Leeds, his third saw the Teessiders lose 3-2 to Sheffield Wednesday and his fourth was a 1-0 home defeat to Reading that left Middlesbrough in 16th position in the second tier.

So while the current situation might be precarious, with Boro only out of the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference after Leicester beat Liverpool on Monday night, a sense of perspective is required.

Earlier today, Clayton signed a new four-year contract committing him to the Riverside until 2021, and while he is determined to do all he can in the next two-and-a-half months to ensure his employers hold on to their top-flight status, he continues to take considerable pride in his contribution to the club’s journey over the last three years.

“There’s no need for us to be down,” said Clayton, whose previous contract was due to expire at the end of next season. “We’ve got some good players and a good manager, a great chairman and a great support behind us – so we’ll keep going and try our best to stay in this league as that’s where I want to be, and why I signed an extension.

“Things aren’t bad – the sun is shining on Teesside so everything isn’t bleak! We’re in the FA Cup quarter-final so that’s something to look forward to, one win away from Wembley, and we’re still fighting to be in this league.”

That fight continues at Stoke City on Saturday, with Boro looking to end a winless streak in the league that stretches all the way back to mid-December.

Aitor Karanka’s side have gone nine games without a victory, with those nine games featuring just three goals, and their slump in form has coincided with most of their relegation rivals enjoying an improvement in their fortunes.

As a result, Boro are in the worst position they have inhabited all season, but Clayton insists their deepening plight has merely strengthened the squad’s determination to turn their fortunes around.

After taking on Stoke and Manchester United, Boro face Swansea City, Hull City and Burnley in the space of a week, and the picture could look markedly different if they were to rediscover their winning touch in those games.

“It’s very small margins,” said Clayton. “If you said to me when I signed that with 12 games to go we wouldn’t be in the bottom three, and hadn’t been in the bottom three all season, that nobody had come and beaten us up on the pitch and we’d been in every game, then I’d have said that would be an upward spiral.

“It’s just the last couple of games where we’re disappointed that we’ve not managed to turn it into points, but if we can do that – we only need a couple of wins and the positivity will be back and we’ll be flying again.”

From a personal perspective, Clayton’s main challenge in the next few weeks is to reclaim the place in the starting line-up he ceded at Crystal Palace last weekend.

Karanka’s tactical reshuffle meant there was no place for the 28-year-old in the starting side, with Adam Forshaw partnering Marten de Roon at the heart of midfield, but Clayton should return on Saturday if Boro revert to their usual formation with four at the back.

“We’ve got competition for places,” said Clayton. “I’d say I’ve played about 90 per cent of the games since I came here, and this season we’ve gone up a level and I’ve only missed three or four games.

“That’s life – it’s football and I’m fighting against some top-quality players. Forsh (Forshaw) has been different class this season and has upped his game, we’ve signed (de Roon) for £12m, so the fact I’ve only missed a few games is a plus sign.

“We’ve got to keep going and try to make sure this team stays in the league, regardless of who plays. We all want to stay in this league and by signing this extension, I’ve shown that I want to be part of it.”

Tying Clayton down to a new deal was one of Karanka’s priorities before the end of the season, and the midfielder insists it was an easy decision to commit the next four years of his career to the Riverside.

“I’ve finally put pen to paper,” he said, in an interview with Middlesbrough's official website. “It’s been going on in the background for a few weeks so to get it over the line and guarantee myself coming here for every day for the next couple of years is really good.

“It’s an enjoyable place to work. I’ve got a lot of friends here now, and looking around you can see why it’s nice to come and train here every day – and to play in front of the fans at the Riverside is a massive plus point.”