Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka is taking his cue from the old wartime saying "Keep calm and carry on" ... all the way to the Premier League.

Leaders Boro are a maximum three wins away from ending their seven-year exile from the top flight after Jordan Rhodes's dramatic double secured a 2-1 victory at Bolton on Saturday.

Tomorrow night's crucial trip to second-placed Burnley kicks off a four-match run-in that ends with the visit of Brighton, the other contenders in a three-horse race for automatic promotion.

But Boro's nailbiting schedule leaves Karanka unfazed after seeing his unorthodox Spring break followed by a record-equalling six successive victories for his resilient team.

Even though Boro slipped to damaging defeats by struggling sides Rotherham, Bristol City and Charlton, Karanka kept his cool when they went a goal down to already-relegated Bolton.

He said: "I said before the game that I was calmer than I was before Rotherham or Charlton, because I know how strong they are, how confident they are, how much they believe. So I was calmer.

"I told them at half time it was a difficult game, because everybody was expecting us to win easy today. Our mission is just to keep playing in our way.

"In the past when we've conceded a goal, to come back was almost impossible. Now we came back, so it shows how strong and how confident they are."

Karanka's lost weekend, when he missed the Charlton defeat after a stormy meeting with his players, appears to have left no scars after chairman Steve Gibson's intervention.

He said: "We had lost games in January, February and March because we had players leaving and important players injured in difficult moments.

"It was difficult to manage that situation and we lost games. Those games were games when we thought we were going to win easy. We lost those games, we made mistakes and we knew that after Hull - the most important part of the season - we had to be ready.

"Promotion is closer than it was, but if we go to Burnley on Tuesday and lose and other teams win their games it's going to be tough."

Karanka's calmer approach and patience with Rhodes paid dividends at Bolton as the £9m striker finally showcased his undoubted talents in front of goal.

He said: "I told him after the game that a goalscorer can't forget to score goals in two months. One day it would arrive that he would score goals and it was today - two important goals.

"I don't think it's been easy for him. He's not a strong character, you can see it in his face. The reason I am pleased for him is because sometimes when you do your best and you're unlucky you are going down. But he was always trusting himself."

Boro left the Macron Stadium with the best wishes of Bolton's beaten interim manager Jimmy Phillips, who played 139 games for the club in the early 90s.

Phillips said: "There's three teams going to be promoted and I hope Middlesbrough are one of those three. I had three fantastic seasons there and my eldest son Billy was born in Stockton.

"We wanted to give them as tough a game as we could, but now it's finished I wish them well and hope they do it. The Premier League is the ultimate league to be playing in."