MIDDLESBROUGH midfielder Adam Clayton will not rein in his combative nature – despite being on the cusp of a one-match booking.

One more yellow card before the end of the month for the deep-lying midfielder will earn him an automatic suspension having accrued four this season so far, but Clayton does not feel changing his style would help matters.

“I can’t remember who it was against but the gaffer grabbed me and said I’d scared the life out of him pulling everyone all over the show – he didn’t want me to get a booking,” said Clayton, whose side will play Queens Park Rangers on Friday night.

“But I don’t think you can change because if you do it might take something away from your game. In this league in our position you’re going to get bookings.

“You can obviously manage it in some situations like when you’re 3-0 up at home as we were against Charlton then you don’t really have to, but if you’re 1-0 at home against Rotherham then you have to make challenges.

“So I don’t change my game, if you’re on the yellows you’ve still got to be as combative as you usually are.”

Middlesbrough's under-21s beat Norwich City 5-0 in the Barclays U21 Premier League yesterday, with Bradley Fewster scoring a hat-trick.