There was a collective sigh of relief around Teesside as Middlesbrough ended their 10-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over Barnsley.

The clash was low on quality and was exactly the sort of dour affair that you'd expect from two sides scrapping at the bottom end of the table.

But the Teessiders won't care.

Victory over the Tykes ended a 10-match winless run for Jonathan Woodgate's who will breathe a sigh of relief after finally ending that miserable run.

Of course they'll come across more difficult challenges as the season unfolds, but all that mattered on the night was the three points.

Britt Assombalonga had an excellent opportunity to open the scoring in the first half, but it was a moment of quality from Ashley Fletcher that saw the Teessiders over the line at the Riverside Stadium.

But what did we learn about Jonathan Woodgate's side? Let's take a look.

Confidence is king

It might not be a huge surprise, but Middlesbrough are case and point that confidence is key to success.

The Teessiders have looked shaky at times this term, but as morale has improved in recent weeks, so have performances.

Jonathan Woodgate's side looked strong and assured against Hull City, and while the game against Barnsley was hardly the most fluent, they rarely looked under serious threat of letting the game get away from them.

Have a go of our International Middlesbrough quiz! Can you get 20 out of 20?

 

The impact of Hayden Coulson

He made an excellent start to the season, but injury stopped him from making the left wing-back slot his own.

Coulson is a natural in that role and it certainly showed as the youngster showed equal levels of quality both in defending and moving forward to join the attack.

It's a role that's made for him, and in my opinion it's now a role that is his to lose.

Britt Assombalonga will decide Middlesbrough's fate this term

It's been quite a few weeks for the striker who has returned to form.

Assombalonga, while not scoring in the last two matches, has made a huge contribution towards Middlesbrough's attacking play as he links up with Ashley Fletcher and Marcus Tavernier.

When the striker plays well, everyone around him does too and that will be massive for the Teessiders as they look to move up the league in the coming weeks.