MIDDLESBROUGH got their Easter Bank Holiday off to a solid start with a hard earned point against Bournemouth but defender Sol Bamba admits they can’t let the opportunity of beating Huddersfield Town slip by them.

Boro’s 0-0 draw on Good Friday saw them move up to seventh in the Championship table and to within two points of the top six with a game in hand. Today, they host a Terriers side who currently sit third in the table.

They remain in the mix for the play-offs with five games to go. Bamba has captained Cardiff City to promotion in the past and his experience tells him that today’s game could go a long way to helping them get promoted. 

The 37-year-old said: “I think it’s in our hands. Like I said before, we are a hungry group that want to do well. It’s an opportunity to do well and I think since the gaffer came in, he’s done so well. 

“We don’t want to miss it because of pressure or we don’t want to do it like If we are scared, it will be a disappointment so as long as it is mathematically possible. 

“We’ve got a massive game on Monday now. If we win that then we are right in the mix so I’m not going to hide and make it a game at a time. We want to make the play-off of course. It’s a big chance and a big opportunity to we need to grab it with both hands.”

Carlos Corberan’s side are hitting form at the right time in the season having won two of their last three games in the Championship. But their general form in the second half of the season has seen them become promotion contenders. 

Since Boro’s 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture at the John Smith’s Stadium back in November, Huddersfield have gone on to lose just two games between now and then in a run of form that also included a 17 match unbeaten run. 

Bamba continued: “They are a good team. We played them earlier on in the season and we done well but since then, they went 16 unbeaten after that so they are very good. 

“They have been doing very well so it will be a tough game but I hope we fancy ourselves. We have got a good home record, it will be a full house on Easter Monday so hopefully we get the three points then."

While Bamba’s imperious performance on the south coast will have given the management team assurances in Dael Fry’s absence, Boro are hopeful that the 24-year-old will return from injury for the game at the Riverside Stadium.

Fry limped off in Boro’s 1-0 defeat to Hull City with a calf injury. Meanwhile, Martin Payero continued his recovery from an ankle injury after featuring for the Under-23’s side on Good Friday.