Boss Paul Jewell is weighing up whether to stick with the system which saw the Blues to Monday's 3-0 victory over Coventry for Saturday’s trip to high-flying Middlesbrough. The Town manager successfully utilised a diamond formation with a narrow four-man midfield against the Sky Blues.
Jewell says he selects the team which he feels is right for a particular game and, although he was impressed with his side’s overall display against Coventry, admits that Monday’s formation led to vulnerabilities at the back: "I pick a team which I think is going to be best on the day.
"I think as we’ve got so many new players it does take a while for them to bed in, whether they’ve got experience or not.
"Sometimes it happens straight away, but in my experience normally it takes a little bit of time.
"I think every game has to be taken on its merits, but I certainly hope we can build on the performance from the other night, particularly going forward.
"At times we were a little bit open defensively, but at least we created opportunities and we played a lot of good football.”
The Boro game is the first of three tricky looking matches with a visit to West Ham and a home clash with Brighton following, but Jewell says all Championship fixtures are challenging with little between most sides: "I think the league is really difficult to call.
"I was talking to [Peterborough boss] Darren Ferguson at the reserve match here and he was saying that Middlesbrough are the best team that they’ve played. After the game the other night [Coventry manager] Andy Thorn told me that we’re the best team that they’ve played.
"If you look at the league you can see that any result is possible. There’s huge inconsistency from most of the teams but the sides at the top are doing really well at the minute. However, we’re seven games into the season and that’s not going to tell us anything."
The Town manager isn’t expecting a game quite as open as the 3-3 draw at Portman Road in April but is still anticipating an entertaining afternoon: "We went one up, could have been out of sight and then we did what we do really well — concede goals really quickly, one after another. At 3-1 we were staring down the barrel but we had a decent fightback that night.
"Middlesbrough have started the season well. They’ve got a blend of experience and youth. I think Tony’s done very well there. I guess it will be a decent football match.
"I think last year they spent quite a lot of money and brought a lot of players in and everyone tipped them for promotion. That didn’t happen for one reason or another.
"They had a decent finish to last season and they’ve started this season very well. The next few games are tough but every game in this division is tough.”
There are unlikely to be too many changes whatever Jewell decides with regard to his formation. David Stockdale will start in goal, Aaron Cresswell at left-back and Carlos Edwards at right-back.
Central defender Ibrahima Sonko is a doubt with the knee ligament injury he suffered in the Coventry game but if fit will continue to the right of Danny Collins at the heart of the defence.
If the Senegalese international fails to make it the Blues boss will have to decide whether to switch Collins to the right and bring in Damien Delaney or select Ãvar Ingimarsson for his second game of the season as a direct replacement for his former Reading team-mate Sonko.
The Icelander is probably Jewell's preferred option as long as he feels the 34-year-old is fit enough having played two reserve games — both very comfortable victories — since returning from his thigh problem.
In midfield, the Town boss is unlikely to stray from the four from Monday — Jimmy Bullard, Lee Bowyer, Keith Andrews and skipper Grant Leadbitter — but may decide to add a fifth man, probably Daryl Murphy on the left, if he decides to match Middlesbrough in midfield with Tony Mowbray often fielding a now rarely seen 3-5-2 formation.
But Jewell may instead choose to stick with the diamond — Leadbitter at the most advanced point, Bowyer on the left, Andrews on the right and Bullard in the deeper role — used against Coventry. In which case the resurgent Jason Scotland — a player targeted by Middlesbrough — alongside Michael Chopra.
Boro saw a 14-game unbeaten run come to an end when they lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace in a Carling Cup tie on Tuesday, a game watched by Town assistant boss Chris Hutchings.
However, manager Mowbray had made seven changes from the team which had coincidentally beaten the Eagles in the Championship last Saturday. The squad arrived back in the North-East at 4.30am on Wednesday morning and have trained only lightly since then.
The Boro boss hopes his team can avoid a repeat of the under par performance which followed their previous away evening match: "Our last home game we lost two points to Coventry on the back of a tough midweek game at Peterborough.
"It does take it out on the body a little bit. The players will basically rest after Tuesday’s game until kick-off time on Saturday."
The Teessiders are currently second in the table, a point behind leaders Southampton and 11 places and eight points ahead of the Blues. Their home record of won one and drawn two is less impressive than their away form where they are yet to drop a point.
Mowbray is likely to recall full-back Joe Bennett after a one-match ban, while midfielder Malaury Martin is a doubt due to illness.
Defender Seb Hines (knee) and keeper Jason Steele (wrist) are on the mend but unlikely to be involved and forward Jonathan Franks (shoulder) is definitely out having undergone surgery.
Boro skipper Matthew Bates spent time on loan with Town in the 2006/07 season, making two appearances before a cruciate knee ligament injury saw him return home.
Tony Mowbray is a former Town skipper, coach and caretaker-manager. Mowbray’s assistant manager is Mark Venus, who was also part of George Burley’s Blues side. No current member of the Town squad has played for Boro.
Town have had the better of Middlesbrough over the years, winning 27 games (25 in the league), drawing 12 (12) and losing 16 (15).
When the sides last met, at Portman Road in April, they drew 3-3 in a game which boss Paul Jewell said at the time could have ended 7-7.
Grant Leadbitter put the Blues in front early on, but two goals in a minute just before the break from Andy Halliday and Scott McDonald saw the visitors into a surprise lead.
Boro extended their lead after the restart via Andrew Taylor but Connor Wickham and then Leadbitter from the spot levelled with both teams having opportunities to win it late on.
On the opening day of the last campaign at the Riverside, goals from Tommy Smith, Tamás Priskin and Jon Stead saw Town come behind to win 3-1 against then-Championship favourites Boro having been a goal down at half-time.
Despite Scott McDonald putting the home side in front, the Blues were the better side throughout and the result hardly flattered Roy Keane’s men.
The match will be one of the main games on Saturday’s The Football League Show and is being shown live overseas. If you’re abroad and know which channel is screening the game or plans are afoot to watch it in a bar in some far-flung part of the world, post the details below.
Saturday’s referee is Scott Mathieson from Cheshire, who has shown 26 yellow and one red card in nine games so far this season. Mathieson’s most recent Town match was the 2-0 home defeat to Portsmouth in February in which he booked only Pompey’s Ricardo Rocha.
Squad from: Stockdale, Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Cresswell, Ainsley, Sonko, Collins, Ingimarsson, Delaney, Bullard, Bowyer, Andrews, Leadbitter, Murphy, Martin, Emmanuel-Thomas, Chopra, Scotland.
Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk