ADAM CLAYTON is confident Middlesbrough possess the mental resolve needed to reclaim a place in the top two, and is hoping the improvements that have been made to last season’s squad will prove the difference in the final six weeks of the season.

Boro head into their remaining nine matches in third position, a point behind Brighton who occupy the second automatic promotion spot but with a game in hand on both the Seagulls and leaders Burnley.

At the same stage of last season they were also sitting third, but while they claimed crucial victories over Derby, Wolves and Norwich in the latter stages of the campaign, they eventually missed out on a top-two finish by an agonising four points.

Since then, however, they have invested more than £20m in order to sign the likes of Gaston Ramirez, Stewart Downing, David Nugent and Jordan Rhodes, who could all play crucial roles in the games that remain.

The quartet all boast extensive experience in the top two divisions, and with the continued strength of Boro’s mental resolve having been highlighted by the recent win over Hull, Clayton is hoping the squad’s added quality will prove decisive.

“This group of players is really good,” said the midfielder. “It’s the best group I’ve ever been involved with. We’ve been to places like Norwich last year and dug in to get massive results. The memory of days like that will help.

“We know we’ve got that kind of resolve in the dressing room, and we’ve got an added bit of quality now with people like Gaston and Stewy and people like that. We know the grit’s there – you could see that against Hull – and that’s going to be important in the run in.

“Everyone was back onside in the Hull game – it was a good show of togetherness from the whole club – and provided we keep that, we’ll be okay.”

Karanka’s team selection for the final nine matches will be crucial, and having started with Adam Forshaw in a number of recent games, it was telling that the Spaniard returned to his preferred central-midfield pairing of Clayton and Grant Leadbitter against Hull.

With Cristhian Stuani not due to return from international duty until the end of next week, Downing and Albert Adomah are set to fill the wide positions at QPR with Ramirez expected to continue in the ‘number ten’ role.

Rhodes started as the lone striker last Friday, but Nugent came off the bench to score the winner and Clayton was delighted to see the former England international receive a timely morale boost courtesy of his eighth goal of the season.

“There are some top players in our team, and there’s match winners all the way through the squad,” he said. “If we can keep that passion and commitment, then we won’t go far wrong.

“I’m delighted that Dave got the winner in the last game because he runs his socks off and he’s just been missing the target lately or the keeper has just been saving it. To get such an important goal will get him going, and hopefully he can get three four or five more between now and the end of the season.”