THIS time last year Britt Assombalonga wasn’t sure whether he would be at Middlesbrough for the start of the season, nor did he believe he had the entire trust of the manager behind him.

What a difference 12 months makes in football.

While there is still an outside chance Assombalonga will be sold before the transfer window closes if one of his suitors – namely Sheffield United, Celtic and Fulham, who appear to have been put off by his valuation – coughs up somewhere near the £15m fee Boro paid for him, he is suddenly feeling the love again at the Riverside.

The 26-year-old was all smiles at the Peninsula Stadium on Tuesday night when he scored his second hat-trick for Middlesbrough, a year after hitting his first, tellingly or coincidentally, under Jonathan Woodgate for a largely Under-23s’ side in a friendly at Hartlepool.

“That’s six goals in two games under me from Britt,” joked Woodgate after beating Salford City. There is also, though, something behind that. Make no mistake, the club’s new head coach values the record buy. And the striker knows it.

Assombalonga did his best to avoid reflecting on his time under Tony Pulis, but it is widely known the former West Brom boss never felt he could get him to play the way he wanted to even if he did score goals.

Under Woodgate the front-man is already feeling a lot better about things and clearly intends to repay his former coach with the goals to give Middlesbrough what they require in the final third.

Assombalonga, who had been given ten days off to recover from Africa Cup of Nations duty with Congo, said: “It was nice to be out there at Salford. I was excited to play my first game back. Training has been really good, and I felt it would be a good test for me.

“Everything is good. There are a lot of smiles around the place now, there is a nice atmosphere. Last season has gone, it’s about this season. We just have to keep pushing now and everyone is excited to go forward.

“Every manager has their way of playing and you have to try to adapt the best way you can. Sometimes you can adapt perfectly other times you can’t. You just have to try to adapt.”

Without naming names or drawing too much on what life was like under Pulis for him, Assombalonga clearly has his opinions and the occasional smile on his face said it all.

The former Nottingham Forest man is a goalscorer, highlighted by a record of almost a goal every two starts throughout his career that has been maintained during his two years on Teesside.

And the way he scored his hat-trick at Salford – the second of which was a stunning first half volley from the edge of the area – has left him hungry for more ahead of the final pre-season friendly of the summer against St Etienne at the Riverside on Sunday.

“Everything seems good,” said Assombalonga, who 12 months ago is known to have had a dispute with Pulis on the training trip to Austria.

“I was excited to come back and to training. I had my time off after the Africa Nations, spent it with my family. That was nice to have a mental break.

“It’s nice the manager seems to believe in me here. I have had periods where managers really believe in me before, it’s a nice feeling and you just want to play.

“You just have a feeling he does, he doesn’t have to say it. With me it is about giving a person confidence, sometimes it’s not even by what they say. Someone can need that little push to get the best out of them.

“Hopefully I will get more goals with that backing. Last season was last season, I still managed to get the goals, I wanted more, but that’s life. I just want to try to better that tally.”

Woodgate has left the recruitment side of things to chief executive Neil Bausor and technical director Adrian Bevington, but did indicate that he had given them targets to go for.

Middlesbrough do have a small squad having lost a number of first team players and not replaced them, and those who are still at the club are desperate to see reinforcements.

Martin Braithwaite last night completed a move to Leganes for £5m  and that gives Middlesbrough some extra freedom on the wage bill.

Assombalonga said: “We have a good group of boys here, the manager wants to add players and it will be competition if we can see more heads and players in the dressing room to push us.

“There are a lot of players who can score goals here, something we didn’t do much of lasty season as a team, and it’s just about having that belief, confidence, to go on. If we played like we did at Salford then we will score more."

Middlesbrough youngster Bilal Brahimi has left the club to sign for French club Stade de Reims.

Brahimi, a decent prospect, has been angling for a move closer to his Paris roots and has got his wish.