CHRIS WILDER is hoping Middlesbrough’s FA Cup heroics will help inspire similar success in the Championship in the second half of the season.

Having triumphed at Old Trafford on Friday night to set up an FA Cup fifth-round tie with Tottenham, Boro return to league duties on Wednesday when they head to Loftus Road to take on a QPR side that currently sit three places above them in the play-off positions.

The Teessiders are currently outside the top six on goal difference, but have at least one game in hand on three of the six sides currently above them in the table.

They have won seven of their last nine matches in the Championship, and should head to London in a buoyant mood this week in the wake of Friday’s spot-kick heroics against Manchester United.

“There’s no downside to going through,” said Wilder. “We got a couple of breaks and took advantage of them, and it was a fabulous night for everybody at the football club.

“We’ve got an incredibly interesting and tough second part of the season to look forward to. We’re in the mix and we’d love to stay in the mix, and getting the result on Friday night will have done us the world of good.

“There’s a hell of a lot of football to be played in the Championship. I’ve been brought here for the medium and long term, but we don’t want to turn this season down. There’s still an awful lot to play for this season, and nights like Friday at Old Trafford will do us no harm.”

The togetherness of the Boro squad was illustrated by the way in which players and staff members linked arms on the touchline on Friday as the drama of the penalty shoot-out played out.

When Anthony Elanga blazed his effort over the crossbar, Boro’s players and coaches sprinted to the far end of the pitch to celebrate in front of the jubilant travelling supporters that had packed out the East Stand.

Boro’s cup run has captured the imagination of the Teesside public, and the Riverside should be bouncing when Tottenham visit in the fifth round.

And while the league remains the priority, Friday’s cup win has helped strengthen the bonds within the first-team squad that Wilder feel will be crucial in the remainder of the campaign.

“There are some talented boys here,” he said. “I inherited some decent boys, with a fabulous attitude in the group. They’re willing to run around, and they’re willing to learn, and we’re together. If we’d turned up at Old Trafford on Friday night as individuals, we’d have been pulled apart, but we didn’t.

“There’s belief within the players. We’ve got some technically good players, and there’s plenty of character and bottle in there as well, which you need.”

Boro’s squad will be boosted by the return of injured left-back Marc Bola next month, although Wilder does not expect either Darnell Fisher or Sammy Ameobi to feature in the remainder of the season.

“Marc is going to be March,” said the Boro boss. “We’re looking at Marc still having a good month to six weeks before he’ll start getting involved again. But he’s working away. The other long-term ones, Sammy Ameobi and Darnell Fisher, are out for the season, I believe.

“Injuries were one of the things we looked at when we first came in and that’s largely cleared up, which we’re delighted about."