Middlesbrough continued their good form under Chris Wilder with a 1-0 over promotion-chasing Bournemouth on Saturday.
Whilst Bournemouth had the better chances, Middlesbrough showed their playoff credentials as they kept the Cherries at bay in the second half.
Andraz Sporar scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after good work from Isaiah Jones, moving Boro closer to the top six.
It was another step in the right direction for Boro under Wilder who have now won three wins in six under the former Sheffield United manager.
With the dust having now settled from this fixture, we have decided to take a look at THREE things we clearly learnt about Boro following their 1-0 victory over Bournemouth
This squad is good enough to compete for a top-six place
Adding to the squad in January is still necessary for Boro but what this game showed is that this squad is good enough to compete for a place in the playoffs.
They have balance and depth, which a number of sides including Stoke, Nottingham Forest, Coventry and Huddersfield currently don't.
We're yet to see the best of a number of players as well, especially in the forward areas but what is obvious is the quality in the side. Isaiah Jones for example is excelling at right-wing back making the need to recall Djed Spence less of a priority.
Adding more quality to this side will only make Boro better in short-term and enhance their chances of a top-six finish.
They don't need to recall Djed Spence
Djed Spence has been in fantastic form for Nottingham Forest and put in another brilliant display against Hull City yesterday.
The good form coupled with a recall clause and Chris Wilder already speaking to the full-back about his short-term future may get many speculating about his January return to the Riverside.
However, given the form and emergence of Isaiah Jones at right-wing back, Boro should prioritise strengthening other areas of the squad. Jones won the penalty that Sporar dispatched yesterday through persistence and scored the winner against Swansea a couple of weeks ago.
He's gone from strength to strength under Chris Wilder and should be the first choice eliminating the need to bring Spence back into the fold.
They need to create more chances
One weakness you could aim at Boro is their ability to consistently create good goalscoring chances. In Andraz Sporar they have a striker with a goalscoring pedigree but are lacking when it comes to creativity.
Towards the end of the game against Bournemouth for example, Jones was bearing down on goal towards and could have squared the ball to a teammate before opting to go for goal himself.
The game could have been wrapped up for Boro and made the last five minutes a little bit less nervy for supporters.
Nonetheless, Wilder has been at Boro for less than two months and will certainly improve this aspect of their game in time.