GRANT Leadbitter may be top of Middlesbrough’s goal chart at the moment, but the unselfish midfielder insists he is focused on achieving team goals rather than personal ones.

The 28-year-old is enjoying his most prolific season to date after scoring his tenth goal of the campaign in Boro’s 2-0 win over Derby County on Saturday.

Leadbitter’s previous best came in the 2006/07 season for Sunderland, when he notched seven times, but with four-and-a-half months still left of the season he is on course to blow his current record out of the water.

Head coach Aitor Karanka has given the midfielder – who was primarily used in a deep-lying role under Tony Mowbray – a licence to get forward and the Teessiders are reaping the rewards of his decision.

Saturday’s win moved Boro top of the Championship for the first time in two years, albeit for a matter of hours after Bournemouth beat Cardiff to claim a share of the lead, but despite receiving challenges to reach the 20-goal mark, Leadbitter is only worried about one thing – winning games.

“It seems a bit strange to have ten goals before Christmas, but it’s been nice,” he admitted. “I’ll just keep going. People have been pulling my leg and saying I need to get 20 goals now, but I just say that 20 more wins would be nice.

“I’m happy with my own game and I feel as though I’m playing well. But when you play with good players, and have good people in the dressing room, it makes a big amount of difference.

“We’ve been consistent and that’s really important. Apart from the one game at Wolves, you can’t really look at anything and say we’ve really let ourselves down.”

The win over Steve McClaren’s men sent a strong message to the rest of the Championship’s promotion hopefuls, and Leadbitter believes it was the team’s collective performance that earned the points.

He said: “It was a good game, with two good sides going at it. They were both champing at the bit to win the game, and thankfully we won.

“In tight games, and especially games between two good teams, midfield is always an important area. I think me and Adam did well at the weekend, but I also thought the whole team was magnificent.

“You can go through everyone from Emilio (Nsue), who was fantastic, to Daniel Ayala – the whole of the back four was great. The two guys up front worked so hard for the team and it was a good three points.”

Karanka has brought in 13 players to strengthen his squad’s chances of securing a return to the Premier League next season, but it hasn’t taken long for the newcomers to feel at home.

“We all get on, and I must say that the foreign lads who have come into the dressing room have been outstanding,” explained Leadbitter, who returns to former club Ipswich Town on Saturday. “They’ve settled in so well – people like Emilio and Damia (Abella), who is a big influence on the squad. These players have come in and improved us.”

Leadbitter, who signed a new three-and-a-half year contract recently, has formed an effective partnership with Adam Clayton in the heart of midfield and their displays are a big reason behind their position in the table.

Instead of being rigid in the positions, the pair take turns to carry out defensive and offensive duties, but the former Sunderland man knows they must stay on their toes with able deputies waiting in the wings.

He said: “Adam’s a really good character in the dressing room and he’s fitted in very well. But I think the competition for places at the club is very good and it keeps everybody on their toes.

“Especially in central midfield, you’ve got Deano (Whitehead) and Milos (Veljkovic). They’re both top players, and if either myself or Adam aren’t playing very well, we know we’ve got players pushing for our places.

“That helps the spirit in the camp, and it’s a big thing that everyone in the camp gets on. There’s no bitterness in the group if people aren’t playing and that always helps.”

Meanwhile, Boro will be backed by their biggest away following of the season when they face Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on December 28.

The club announced yesterday that their allocation had sold out with 7,000 supporters set for the trip to Lancashire two days after the Boxing Day visit of Nottingham Forest.