Nahki Wells is back in the groove

Town's top scorer had a barren run before Christmas, when he went eight games without scoring. But he was on target against Bolton Wanderers and Watford and came ever so close to adding to his 11-goal haul at Middlesbrough, where he hit a post and brought two smart saves from Greek goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos. With fresh worries over the fitness of James Vaughan, having Wells fit and firing is vital.

The return of Oscar Gobern could be very important

 Injured in the early stages of the Championship campaign, then sent out to League 1 Chesterfield, the former Southampton player might have been expecting another loan this month. But he came back into the Town reckoning as a substitute at Rotherham United on Boxing Day and made his first start under Chris Powell when Jonathan Hogg was suspended against Watford. When injury forced Hogg off at Middlesbrough, Gobern came on and did a good job.

Town have developed real resilience

Teams of old might well have withered when Lee Tomlin thumped Middlesbrough ahead on the hour. The home team were lifted and their fans going at it full throttle. But Boro old boy Jacob Butterfield set the tone by coming close soon after, and the Teessiders had their work cut out to deny a Town side who had recovered after setbacks against both Bolton, who went ahead early on, and Watford, who claimed a fortuitous equaliser.

Jimmy Glass moments are few and far between

The former Carlisle United goalkeeper achieved legendary status in Cumbria by going up for a corner and scoring the last-gasp goal which kept his club in the Football League in 1999. Not for the first time this season, Alex Smithies swapped penalty areas deep into stoppage time as Town fought for a last-gasp leveller. He made his presence felt as well, but sadly Boro broke on the counter and Tomlin rolled the ball into an unguarded net. Game over.

Middlesbrough's defence must give them a decent chance of winning promotion

It's now five consecutive clean sheets for Aitor Karanka's fourth-placed side in all competitions, and just 17 goals conceded in 26 games, by far the best record in the Championship.  The Teessiders seemed a touch fortunate to keep Town out on occasions, but remember the old saying you make your own luck? With such a strong rearguard and players like Kike, Patrick Bamford and Tomlin up top, Boro's chances look good.