GARRY MONK is desperate for Middlesbrough to prove they can take life under him to a new level after turning in a complete away day performance.

Boro are aiming to follow up an impressive victory at Reading on Saturday by reproducing the display and the outcome when they head to Hull City tonight.

Anything other than another triumph will be disappointing; Boro have only won back-to-back games in the Championship once this season.

That was achieved in August when they beat Sheffield United and Burton at the Riverside Stadium, albeit narrowly, and now the challenge is to build on the positive vibes created from Reading.

Monk said: “I said it straight away after the Reading game to the players. They have given a great response to end the winless run, but this league is about putting runs together. Winning runs are even better, and Tuesday night gives us the opportunity to build on Saturday’s win.

“It’s vitally important we back it up. We realise how difficult and competitive this league is, but we need to go there and put down another marker. If we can, confidence will increase and we will grow into that team we know we’re capable of.”

Despite plenty of reasons to be encouraged by aspects of his team’s display in certain games since taking over, the problem Boro have had is an inability to turn that dominance into victories.

The hope now is they prove they are ready to mix it with the best in the Championship by powering themselves back into the promotion picture, having stuttered during the opening few months under Monk.

The boss has overseen massive changes since taking over and pressure had started to grow from the supporters after failing to make inroads on the top six under his watch.

However, after winning on Saturday, the Teessiders head into the trip to the KCOM Stadium three points behind sixth-placed Aston Villa.

But Hull City have shown signs in recent matches, even if they lost at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, that they are more than capable of posing a threat – particularly during a three-match undefeated run before that game which included a 6-1 home win over Birmingham.

Monk said: “The games are coming thick and fast and this is another really difficult one and we’ll have to make sure we’re at it again.

“People will look at the game and see two relegated sides not quite where they want to be but there are quite a lot of teams like both us and Hull in a lot of ways.

“Look at last season, teams that did fantastically well or were in a higher league, that haven’t quite got it right so far. We aren’t alone.”

Boro don’t have any fresh injury problems ahead of the visit to the Tigers, and there will be a reluctance to mix things up after a strong performance at Reading.

Hull have been inconsistent of late and head coach Leonid Slutsky has called for the supporters to stay with the team rather than provide distractions.

There was further unrest during the defeat to Forest when the tea-time fixture was headlined by a supporter protest against the ownership of the Allam family.

Some of the Hull support staged a march before kick-off before throwing tennis balls onto the pitch as the game reached 19 minutes and four seconds - marking the year of Hull’s formation in 1904.

Slutsky hopes there will not be a repeat this evening.

He said: “I think this protest didn’t help us. The match stopped for some minutes. We lost condition and had to come back.

“OK, everyone has the chance to protest, but I hope the next reaction will be positive for the team.

“Our supporters are very important to us. We try to show our maximum levels, but please don’t turn your back on the team. The result was unlucky, but we still believe in the best. We must stay together when you have a difficult time. You have to support each other.”