THEY might be defending a one-goal advantage after Friday’s dramatic victory at Brentford, but Adam Clayton has urged his Middlesbrough team-mates to adopt an attacking approach from the outset when they play the second leg of their play-off semi-final at the Riverside.

Boro head into Friday’s decider in a strong position after Fernando Amorebieta’s stoppage-time strike secured a 2-1 win at Griffin Park.

The result means that a draw will be sufficient to guarantee the Teessiders a place in the play-off final at Wembley on Bank Holiday Monday, and with Aitor Karanka having proved adept at making his side difficult to break down in the past, there is sure to be a temptation to adopt a safety-first approach in four days time.

Karanka’s players struck on the counter-attack to impressive effect at the weekend, but inviting Brentford to push on in the early stages of Friday’s decider could result in a ceding of momentum that might be difficult to turn around if the visitors were to claim the opening goal.

Instead, Clayton would like to see a repeat of the recent high-pressure matches against Norwich and Wolves, where Boro’s positivity from the outset established the tone for the remainder of the game.

“All you can ask for is to go into the home leg with the game in your own hands,” said the midfielder. “It’s in our hands now, and if we don’t lose, we win the semi-final.

“It can be hard to know which way to go – do you defend it or do you go for it – but I’m sure we’ll get out on the front foot like we did against Wolves and Norwich and try to play it that way. We’ll be trying to get the first goal because if we do that, the tie will really be in our hands.

“As it is though, it’s still only half-time and the play-offs have done very cruel things to teams before. We’ve just got to be right on our game against a very good Brentford team. It’ll be tough, but hopefully we can get over the line.”

Boro can draw considerable solace from their home record during the regular season, which was only matched by fellow play-off participants, Ipswich. The Teessiders only suffered three home defeats all campaign, two of which came last August, and the other of which saw Leeds pull off a smash-and-grab 1-0 win despite being outplayed for the vast majority of the game.

Brentford’s away form was mixed – 11 wins and nine defeats – but Clayton maintains it would be wrong to take anything for granted despite his side’s strong position in the wake of last Friday’s victory.

“We know this tie is nowhere near over,” he said. “They made a couple of good chances in the first leg and could even have nicked an equaliser after we scored with a ball that fizzed across the box.

“We know this isn’t finished. They’re going to come and give everything because, at this stage of the season, they’ve got absolutely nothing to lose. We’ve got to be on our guard, and be as good as we’ve been at home all season. Hopefully, with a packed Riverside, we can’t be beaten.”

Another factor in Boro’s favour is the meticulous methodology adopted by head coach Aitor Karanka, and from the minute the final whistle blew at Griffin Park, the Spaniard was at pains to point out the potential pitfalls that could lie in wait in the second leg.

Karanka will be doing everything he can to guard against the risks of complacency this week, and if previous evidence is anything to go by, he will not shirk from dropping anyone he regards as over-confident in the build up to the game.

Last week, he surprised everyone by taking his players to Spain for a four-day training camp, and while the ploy might have back-fired had it resulted in a laboured performance in West London, it is already being hailed as a master-stroke that has propelled Boro towards Wembley.

“It was just what we needed,” said Clayton. “We were disappointed and a bit disjointed (after missing out on automatic promotion), but we went there and there was loads of banter between the lads.

“It was really good, and it meant I didn’t really think about the game and the play-offs until we landed on Thursday. It took our minds off the situation and really galvanised the group.

“It put a lot of energy back into the team and I think it was a really good idea, so if he wants to take us away again, that’ll be fine!

“It really wiped away the cobwebs of not making the top two. You could see against Brighton that it was more a case of being tired, with a few tired legs after a long season. So the trip was really to reinvigorate a few brains and a few legs, and I think it really did that.

“There was a lot of banter, and it brought you close to a few of the lads you maybe don’t always speak to as much. I really got to know some of the Spanish lads a lot better and it’s made the bond of the group become even stronger. It was a worthwhile trip.”