Middlesbrough could be without Darren Randolph for the clash with Barnsley.

The goalkeeper returned from a thigh injury for the fixtures with Queens Park Rangers and Hull City, but is doubtful for the fixture with the Tykes on Wednesday night.

The club have confirmed that the injury is a recurrence of the thigh injury previously suffered.

The news was revealed by Jonathan Woodgate in his pre-match press conference where he said that he was contending with a number of injuries.

Woodgate also confirmed that George Friend, Ryan Shotton, Rudy Gestede and Marcus Browne would also miss the clash with Gerhard Struber's side.

Speaking about the draw with Hull City ahead of the Barnsley game, Woodgate said: "It was difficult to take really, I didn’t enjoy it at all but I like to take the positives out of the game.

“For the first 37 minutes we were exceptional.That’s the type of football I want to play.

“It’s difficult when you go down to 10 men but for the first 37 minutes we were terrific.

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“if you watch the last five or six games we’ve played some really good football and created a lot of chances. You saw the football that we played against Hull and this time we converted the chances.

“We want to win, we need to win the game; it’s as simple as that. We want to win the game – we’ve got a few injuries in the team but we want to win it.”

The verdict

While the injuries to George Friend, Ryan Shotton, Rudy Gestede and Marcus Browne are expected, the news of a potential setback for Darren Randolph is a big concern.

The goalkeeper is one of Middlesbrough's key players, and while the nature of the injury is unclear, his absence would be a big blow.

Aynsley Pears will no doubt be ready to deputise if needed, but for a game of this magnitude the fans will be hoping to have their number one between the sticks.