MICHAEL Carrick says Middlesbrough's 1-1 draw with Coventry City didn't tell him anything he didn't already know about his side's play-off semi-final opponents.

After Monday's draw at the Riverside, Boro and the Sky Blues are now preparing to go at it twice more.

Carrick knows Coventry will present a tough test over 180 minutes but was pleased with the way his side dealt with their threats in Monday's game, and felt Boro got better as the game went on.

“I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know," he said.

"They (Coventry) are a very good team and Mark (Robins) has got them playing very well. They’re a real threat going forward and in the transition, as we saw today.

"I thought the longer the game went on, we dealt with it pretty well. But they’re a big threat with good players, as you would expect for a team where they are in the league and on the run they’re on. It’s four good teams in the play-offs and it’s all about what happens next."

After three games with nothing at stake having secured a play-off place with a couple of weeks to spare, Carrick is now relishing the pressure of the play-off shootout.

He said: “It’s just different isn’t it? I think naturally there will be a different feeling to the two games ahead, certainly in terms of the atmospheres we’ll play in front of.

"There is no hiding from that, it’s something we’ve got to relish. We’re in a privileged position and you’re fighting for something that’s worth achieving. So we’ll look forward to it."

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Boro and Coventry both recovered from a difficult start to the season, making their top six finishes all the more impressive.

Coventry's win over Boro in October was their first of the season but they were still bottom of the table at the time. That game proved to be Chris Wilder's last in charge of Boro, who at that stage looked set for a long hard season.

But both Boro and the Sky Blues found form and soared up the table.

Carrick said: "I think this league throws that up times.

"You can have runs and momentum where it goes against you then all of a sudden you can get momentum and it snowballs from there. You look at us, Coventry, West Brom to a point, I know they've missed out, but it's similar.

"Historically this league does that. We've cashed in so far but it's what's next that matters."