MUCH more of this, and Middlesbrough will have to be known as the ‘comeback kids’.

In the whole of last season, Boro picked up just a solitary point from positions where they were behind. January’s draw at West Brom, with Alvaro Negredo’s penalty cancelling out an early strike from James Morrison, was the only occasion when the Teessiders recovered from going behind to claim something. And let’s be honest, they had plenty of practice.

Fast forward to the current campaign, and in the space of seven days, Garry Monk’s side have claimed four points after trailing to both QPR and Fulham. QPR led twice yet still ended up with nothing, and on Saturday, Fulham must have thought Aboubakar Kamara’s 86th-minute header was the winner, only for Boro to peg them back two minutes later as Cyrus Christie drilled home his first goal since his summer move from Derby County.

Clearly, it would be better not to concede in the first place. But the ability to withstand setbacks is a sign of mental fortitude and a strong team spirit, characteristics that are generally a prerequisite in a team that goes on to win promotion.

“We’ve come from behind again,” said Monk, whose side have risen into the play-off places ahead of back-to-back home games with Norwich City and Brentford. “You obviously don’t want to have to do that, but there have been a couple of games now where we’ve had to, and we’ve done it very well.

“The unbeaten run we’re on says a lot, especially when we’ve not quite hit our stride yet. To be seven games unbeaten is pleasing, and looking at those games, we could realistically have taken more out of them. We’re definitely moving in the right direction, and the attitude and character within the squad is undeniable.”

That character meant that heads did not drop when Kamara headed home Ryan Sessegnon’s cross at the back post, and the strength of the growing bond within the new-look Boro squad was evident in the frenzied reaction to Christie’s equaliser that saw every outfield player mob the full-back in front of the ecstatic travelling fans.

A draw was the right result from an entertaining encounter that saw Boro initially struggle against the pace and fluidity of Fulham’s attacking before eventually stabilising to cause problems of their own.

They could have been ripped apart in the first 20 minutes, with Sessegnon’s overlapping runs causing a succession of problems down the right-hand side of their defence. With Lewis Baker initially offering little in the way of support to Christie, who was stationed behind him, Boro found themselves repelling a series of early raids and Darren Randolph made two excellent first-half saves to deny Oliver Norwood and Floyd Ayite.

Boro’s best first-half chance came to nothing when Baker curled over the crossbar, but with Jonny Howson excelling as he produced his best display for the Teessiders at the heart of midfield, the game became a much more equal contest from the half-hour mark onwards.

It wasn’t a day when Monk was able to watch his side outplaying their opponents with free-flowing football, although there were sufficient signs of promise from the likes of Baker and Marvin Johnson in particular to suggest that day could come. For now, it is surely significant that Boro continue to accumulate points even though they remain a team in the early stages of their development.

“I don’t think we’ve hit our full stride yet,” admitted Monk. “The players can see in certain periods within the games, how powerful we can be. With the quality we have, you can see how dominant we can be.

“We’ve yet to put it into a complete 90-minute performance, although we understand that’s very difficult. I think it’s coming. That’s the work and the improvements we’re trying to make in the team.

“The players are very aware of that as well, and their commitment to it is there. We’re just trying to improve those things on a daily basis. When it fully clicks, and we hit that top gear, I don’t think there’ll be many teams that can stop us.”

There were glimpses of Boro beginning to hit their stride in the second half, although neither Britt Assombalonga nor the returning Patrick Bamford really had a genuine opportunity in front of goal.

Howson and Adam Clayton were the key performers, scrapping away at the heart of midfield and forcing Fulham to attack in the wide positions, along with Ben Gibson and Dael Fry, who successfully dealt with a series of balls into the box.

The one occasion when Boro’s defending let them down was when Fulham scored, with Sessegnon twisting and turning past Christie to cross from the left, and Kamara out-jumping substitute George Friend to head home at the back post via the inside of the upright.

That looked like being that, but this is a Boro side that is clearly not fazed by a bit of adversity. Ashley Fletcher’s shot on the turn was blocked inside the area, but the ball fell invitingly for Christie, who cracked a low strike into the corner.