Albert Adomah played 90 minutes on Saturday as Middlesbrough beat Rotherham United 2-0 in the Championship.
The victory keeps Boro firmly in the hunt for a promotion place in the second tier, although with all three teams ahead of them also winning, Aitor Karanka’s side remain outside the top two.
Bournemouth on 80 points are top of the table, with Norwich City one point behind them, ahead of Watford on goal difference alone.
After their 2-0 triumph, Middlesbrough find themselves in fourth place on 78 points. With four games still to play they sit comfortably inside the play-offs, seven points ahead of Brentford in seventh.
Derby County and Ipswich Town complete the top six.
Boro struggled during the opening 45 minutes, failing to demonstrate the offensive class that has so often characterised their excellent season in the Championship.
Middlesbrough opened the scoring on 50 minutes when Lee Tomlin measured his angles before hammering the ball past Emi Martinez.
The attacking midfielder was influential once again just over a quarter of an hour later when he played in Patrick Bamford with a superb ball. The on-loan Chelsea star made no mistake with an excellent finish.
Bamford had an opportunity to wrap up the victory from the spot late on when Kike was brought down by Richard Wood, but Martinez made the save.
Adomah played the full 90 minutes for Middlesbrough, for whom he remains in influential figure. He operated on the right wing in Karanka’s 4-2-3-1 formation and made one key pass and had two shots on target according to WhoScored.
He also made a notable defensive contribution, completing five tackles—more than any other player on the pitch.
The former Bristol City man will hope that promotion to the Premier League will ensure that he can no longer be overlooked by Black Stars coach Avram Grant.
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