BEN GIBSON will not be watching promotion rivals Burnley and Brighton in action tomorrow afternoon – because he does not want to waste any energy worrying about things he cannot influence.

Brighton entertain Derby County in tomorrow’s early afternoon kick-off, before Burnley host QPR in their penultimate game of the season.

Both teams are currently a point behind Middlesbrough, so today’s games will dictate the order of the Championship’s top three ahead of the final game of the season.

Boro host Brighton in their final game on Saturday, with a victory guaranteeing promotion no matter what happens in tomorrow’s two games.

So with the Teessiders’ fate in their own hands, Gibson is not going to get too concerned about tomorrow’s developments.

When asked whether he would be watching Burnley and Brighton’s matches, he said: “Probably not. I always used to watch Alex Ferguson and didn’t quite believe it when he said he didn’t watch other teams’ games.

“But now I think there’s no point wasting our energy, what will be will be. We can’t affect that, so let’s concentrate on us and get ready to win next Saturday.”

The stakes could hardly be higher against next weekend’s promotion decider, but Gibson is confident he and his team-mates are capable of handling the pressure.

He said: “The nerves are fine. We’ve got a good few days to prepare, to get our heads down and get focused.

“You don’t need any extra motivation – this is why I dreamt of playing for Middlesbrough as a little boy – to play in games like this and make things like this happen. It’s in our hands – so let’s go and do it.”