MIDDLESBROUGH’S squad depth might be affecting his own first-team chances, but Grant Leadbitter claims the number of options available to Tony Pulis will help ensure the Teessiders remain in the hunt for automatic promotion.

Despite his role as club captain, Leadbitter has not started a league game since the opening day of the season and has not even appeared as a substitute in the Championship since August’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

Since then, his involvement has been restricted to the Carabao Cup, and he made his third start in a row in that competition as Boro secured a penalty shoot-out win at Preston on Tuesday to squeeze into the fourth round.

Pulis changed all 11 members of his starting line-up at Deepdale, and his fringe performers rose to the challenge as they produced a string of impressive performances.

Whether that increases their chances of featuring in Saturday’s league game at Hull City remains to be seen, but while he is far from content at his limited game time, Leadbitter is happy to be part of a squad with so many talented players pushing for a first-team spot.

“It’s clear to see that the club’s got a really strong squad,” said the 32-year-old midfielder. “That’s one of the things you have to have if you’re going to go for promotion, and we’ve got it. That’s probably the main reason why I expect us to be fighting for one of those two top spots all year. It’s good for the football club.

“You need that squad depth. You can’t get promoted with just 11 players, and we’ve got a good squad. We’ve got a good 20 or 22 players at the football club where, if they play on a Saturday, no one can have any complaints.”

The complaints come when players are not starting, and having spent more than a decade as a first-team fixture at first Ipswich Town and then Middlesbrough, Leadbitter freely admits he is finding it hard to come to terms with his new status as a substitute at best.

He hates watching games from the sidelines, but with Saturday’s draw with Swansea City having left Boro level on points with Leeds United at the top of the table, he also acknowledges he can hardly start banging down Pulis’ door demanding to play.

The hope is that, if he bides his time, a chance will eventually come, and his professional pride means he is not the type to start slackening off in training or causing a fuss.

“I don’t change whether I’m in the team or not,” he said. “I do my stuff every day on the football pitch, and that professionalism will never change, in or out of the team.

“The players that are playing in the team (for Championship matches) at the minute are doing well. So the players that are out of the team just have to keep fighting because you can’t complain when the team’s winning games and staying unbeaten.

“There’s a lot of games, and I’m sure other lads will get a crack if there’s a period where the team isn’t doing so well. If that happens, you just have to make sure that if you do get called upon, you’re ready.”

Leadbitter was one of a number of players to take their chance on Tuesday night, with Boro booking their place in Saturday’s fourth-round draw courtesy of their second penalty shoot-out win in this season’s competition.

As was the case in their first-round win over Notts County, all of Boro’s penalty takers at Deepdale were successful, with Leadbitter setting the tone as he calmly swept the opening spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Pulis was delighted to see so many members of his team wanting to take a penalty, and Boro’s players are taking a considerable amount of pride from their superb spot-kick record.

“Credit to the boys, everyone stayed calm,” said Leadbitter. “Sometimes it’s a gamble, but we’re all confident in our boys taking penalties.

“Since I’ve been at the club, we’ve always had a good record in penalty shoot-outs. Long may it continue, although I think we were unlucky not to win before penalties with the chances we had at the end.”