FORGET the ‘Beast from the East’ – on a bitterly cold night at the Riverside, Middlesbrough were able to celebrate a ‘Blast from the Past’.

Patrick Bamford has struggled to reproduce the form he displayed in his first spell on Teesside since re-joining Boro halfway through last season, but last night’s performance saw him roll back the years as he provided an uplifting reminder of just how effective he can be.

A first career hat-trick made it six goals in his last three games, and lifted Boro ahead of Sheffield United and Bristol City and into the play-off positions on goal difference for the first time since the middle of November.

It was the first hat-trick scored by a Boro player at the Riverside since Afonso Alves bagged three in an eight-goal rout of Manchester City in 2008, and more than justified Tony Pulis’ decision to name Bamford as his central striker ahead of Britt Assombalonga.

On this form, the 24-year-old is as good as anyone in the Championship, and while two of last night’s goals might have been scored from an offside position, his clinical finishing augurs well for Boro’s prospects as they look to cement a top-six finish in the remaining 11 games of the season.

With Adama Traore continuing to fire behind him, and Mo Besic adding energy and finesse in a deeper midfield position, Boro are beginning to click at a critical stage of the campaign. Pulis will be delighted at that, and will be equally pleased with the defensive solidity that was once again in evidence last night following last weekend’s uncharacteristic collapses at Sunderland.

Bamford’s two first-half goals broke Leeds’ already meek resistance, and his third goal, midway through the second half, capped what proved a surprisingly comfortable win. With three points in the bank, the decision to do everything possible to ensure the game was played was more than justified.

It might not have felt like it as the temperature dropped below freezing shortly before kick-off, but the decision to stage last night’s game despite the wintry havoc that has swept across the North-East this week was the right one.

The 24 hours prior to kick-off had been akin to a military operation, with giant lighting rigs melting the snow on the Riverside pitch as snowploughs beavered away outside the ground, clearing the car parks and stadium surrounds.

Their efforts meant the pitch was perfectly playable, and while thousands of fans understandably chose to stay away in order to watch the game from the comfort of their living rooms, those that did attend were not unduly troubled. With the Sky cameras in attendance, it is probably also worth pointing out that Boro ended the evening with an extra £100,000 in their coffers.

They also head into the weekend in sixth position, and their superiority over Leeds was never really in doubt. While their opponents looked hesitant and unsure of how their new boss, Paul Heckingbottom, wants them to play, Boro’s players were purposeful and direct from the off. Tony Pulis wants his players to get the ball forward at every opportunity, and his instructions are being carried out to the letter.

From Daniel Ayala and Ryan Shotton firing long balls forward from the back, to Traore and Besic, who looked to run at the Leeds defence at every opportunity, there was a sense of urgency to everything the Teessiders were looking to do. Their first-half efforts brought them two goals, and in truth, it could have been even more.

They served notice of their intent in the opening ten minutes, with Stewart Downing narrowly failing to convert Shotton’s driven cross and Bamford firing in a near-post shot that was parried by Felix Wiedwald.

Bamford was given the opportunity play in his preferred central-strike role, with leading scorer Britt Assombalonga dropped to the bench. Pulis clearly harbours serious reservations about Assombalonga’s attitude and work rate, and regards Bamford as a much more reliable attacking option. On last night’s evidence, he is also every bit as effective in front of goal.

In a display that was reminiscent of some of the match-winning displays he produced during his previous loan spell on Teesside, Bamford tilted the game decisively in Boro’s favour with a burst of two goals in the space of five minutes shortly before half-time.

The first, which came shortly after the half-hour mark, was the result of some excellent movement as Bamford stole ahead of Pontus Jansson to sweep home Downing’s right-wing cross with a crisp first-time volley.

That made it four goals in the space of three games following his brace against Sunderland and successful strike against Hull, and a fifth arrived from Boro’s next meaningful attack.

This time, the goal owed much to the dazzling dribbling of Traore, with the winger picking up the ball deep in his own half and taking three Leeds defenders out of the game as he burst 50 yards upfield.

There was still plenty for Bamford to do as Traore’s ball released him into the left-hand side of the area, but he drilled a fierce low strike underneath a far-from-convincing Wiedwald. If Pulis had any doubt over the identity of his preferred centre-forward before last night’s game, his mind will surely be made up now.

Leeds’ first-half attacking was desultory, with their opportunities restricted to a poor effort from Sameul Saiz that sailed harmlessly over the crossbar and a header from Jansson that flashed wide from a corner.

Jansson felt his shirt was being pulled by Daniel Ayala, but the Boro centre-half merely displayed more determination to win the ball. Indeed, the limpness of Leeds’ all-round performance was encapsulated by the sight of their supposedly physically imposing striker, Pierre-Michel Lassoga, decked out in tights.

That said, the half-time introduction of former Boro midfielder, Adam Forshaw, at least provided Leeds with some additional second-half thrust, and the visitors might have made more of a game of things had an unmarked Jansson not directed a free header high over the crossbar eight minutes after the break.

As it was, the outcome was conclusively settled midway through the second half as Bamford completed his hat-trick with a simple finish.

The striker looked marginally offside as Jansson’s block from a Traore shot fell invitingly into his path, but he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and calmly slotted a crisp low finish into the bottom left-hand corner.