Middlesbrough played host to Preston North End in a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Carrick will have been keen to build on his side’s most recent victory when welcoming Preston North End to the Riverside Stadium this weekend.
Middlesbrough beat Cardiff City 2-0 in their last Championship fixture going into the September international break.
That result left Boro seventh in the league table and within touching distance of the play-off places.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side, on the other hand, knew defeat in the North East could see the Lilywhites end the game week sat in the relegation zone.
Boro started the game on the front foot but unlike some of their previous matches this term when they have dominated early on, they actually found a goal.
Luke Ayling, back in his natural right-back position, delivered an enticing cross into the box which was put in by Tommy Conway for his second goal of the season.
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Tommy Conway was ‘dangerous’ for Middlesbrough vs Preston North End
After becoming Boro’s most expensive signing of the summer, there was a lot of pressure on Conway to deliver.
The 22-year-old scored his first goal for his new club last month, coming off the bench to convert from 12 yards versus Portsmouth.
The Scotland international was then handed his first league start against Cardiff City on August 31st but struggled to perform.
However, Conway looks to have finally found his feet in a Boro shirt and has received praise from journalist Dominic Shaw on X/Twitter for his display on Saturday.
He wrote: “Conway never looked like missing there. Reward for lively start from the forward, who has looked dangerous from the off. Continuing his exciting start to Boro career.”
Tommy Conway can be Middlesbrough’s new Chuba Akpom
With Emmanuel Latte Carrick’s first-choice number nine, the Boro boss had to find another way to fit Conway into the starting line-up this year.
Carrick did try and deploy the former Bristol City man on the left but that did not really work out.
However, after he was played just behind Latte Lath on Saturday, it appears Carrick has already found Conway’s best position.
He is, of course, a centre-forward by trade but excelled when playing as the number 10 against Preston.
This will come as a major boost to Middlesbrough, who appear to have finally found a replacement for Chuba Akpom.
The now Ajax forward scored 28 Championship goals in 2022/23 when operating in the same role Conway did versus Preston.
Like Conway, Akpom is a striker by trade but still managed to score the most goals of any Middlesbrough player in a single season since 1996/97 when dropping slightly deeper.
It is only early days of course, but Conway could now be on his way to being the Teessiders’ next Akpom.