JONNY HOWSON says Middlesbrough’s unbreachable backline is ‘the best he has ever played in front of’, and is hoping a succession of clean sheets will continue to form the bedrock of the club’s promotion push.

Since the opening day of the season, when they let in two goals at Millwall, Boro have only conceded one goal from open play in the space of ten league matches.

They boast the best defensive record in England’s top five divisions, with Tuesday’s latest shutout at Ipswich Town making it eight clean sheets for the season.

Aden Flint and Daniel Ayala have formed a rock-solid central defensive partnership, with Dael Fry also contributing when Tony Pulis has opted to play with three centre-halves, and both George Friend and Ryan Shotton have provided an effective presence in the full-back berths.

Howson was part of the Norwich City side that pipped Boro to promotion in 2015, and represented the Canaries in the Premier League, but having helped his side claim a 2-0 win at Portman Road two days ago, the midfielder admits he has never been involved in such a defensively-secure unit.

“I’ve certainly not played in a team with a defensive record like this,” said Howson, who will be looking to extend Boro’s impressive run when Aitor Karanka brings his Nottingham Forest side to the Riverside this weekend. “It’s the best I’ve been involved in.

“We’ve spoken about it as a squad, and some of the lads that were here when Boro last went up were talking about the record run they went on then. They put together a lot of clean sheets in a row, but for me personally, I’ve not played in a team that’s been anywhere near this.

“It’s a team thing, but as a midfielder, it’s nice to know you’ve got defenders of the quality that we’ve got behind you. It’s a big thing. We’ve obviously got a terrific defence, and they’ve been really solid right throughout the season.

“They can tidy up your mistakes, if you like, and it goes throughout the team. We’ve got that mentality where if you lose the ball, or if you find yourself ahead of the ball, you get back behind it and work for the side. If you look at every player that’s played this season, they’ve got that attitude. We give it everything we’ve got, and I think you can see that.”

Experience is also proving to be key, and Pulis’ policy of signing tried-and-tested Championship performers is paying dividends.

Darren Randolph is a seasoned campaigner in goal, and while he might have had precious little to do for the majority of Tuesday’s game, it was telling that when he was eventually called into action in the second half, he produced the save of the night to keep out Trevoh Chalobah’s low shot.

Flint has been superb since moving to Teesside from Bristol City, Shotton has made the right-back spot his own since leaving Stoke, and both Mo Besic and George Saville have slotted into the midfield positions effectively in the wake of summer moves.

All of those players boast extensive experience in the top two divisions, and the contrast with Ipswich’s callow collection of youngsters was one of the key differences that separated the sides on Tuesday. As the pressure increases in the latter stages of the campaign, the seasoned nature of Boro’s squad will only become more significant.

“We’d like to think we’ve got the experience to see games through,” said Howson. “So far this season, that’s been one of the major positives. Our defensive record has been terrific, and we know how to see games out.

“One of our biggest assets at this moment in time is being solid and hard to beat, so when we get two quick goals like we did the other night, we’re hard to break down. We know how to do a professional job to get the three points, and in a league like the Championship, where you see how quickly things can change, that’s important.”

And if there was any suggestion of Boro’s players beginning to slacken off, their manager also boasts a huge amount of experience that enables him to step in and refocus minds.

Pulis is renowned as a hard task master, diligently drilling defensive discipline into his squad, but one of his biggest strengths appears to be his ability to keep his players motivated and fresh.

“Everyone’s aware of the manager, and his experience,” said Howson. “He’s not going to let us off a little bit with anything, he’ll keep an eye on us and make sure we’re on our toes, and let us know if we slacken off.”