Tommy Conway reveals exactly what "cost" Middlesbrough FC this season | OneFootball

The Boro striker has been reflecting on the club missing out on a Championship play-off place this season.

Middlesbrough striker Tommy Conway believes Boro's inconsistent nature has cost them more than anything in their ill-fated promotion push this season.

The Teessiders' 2-0 defeat to Coventry City on the final day of the 2024/25 Championship season sealed their position in the second tier for another year.

In one of the weaker and most wide open races for fifth and sixth in recent Championship memory, Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough could only muster a 10th-placed finish.

Evidently, this fell frustratingly short of expectations set by the club and the fanbase for the team this season, and marked an alarming step backwards from their 8th-placed campaign last term.

"Frustrated" - Tommy Conway identifies why Middlesbrough fell short this season

Taking to his Instagram account as the dust begins to settle on Middlesbrough's season, Conway took the chance to share his thoughts on his debut campaign on Teesside, and offer an explanation as to why Boro fell short this year.

He said: "We’re frustrated and disappointed in how the season ended.

"It wasn’t the goal we set out and ultimately our inconsistency cost us.

"I’ve enjoyed every minute and had the best first season, so thank you for all your support to me and the boys! Have a good summer and I’ll see you all soon. ❤️"

The 22-year-old signed for Middlesbrough from fellow Championship rivals - and play-off achievers - Bristol City for a reported fee of £4.5m.

The Scotland international would finish his debut season at the Riverside Stadium as Boro's top scorer, with 13 goals in 36 Championship appearances.

It's difficult to point towards one sole reason as to why Middlesbrough came up short in their top six aspirations this season.

Injuries to key players, selling a prolific goalscorer in Emmanuel Latte Lath mid-season and not replacing him, a lack of in-game tactical adjustments and a mistake-prone defence - all of those factors certainly played their part.

However, the foundation for failure this season has been built on Boro's inability to put a run of positive results together.

Indeed, Boro's longest winning streak in the second tier this season was three games between 5-23 November, during which they beat QPR, Luton Town and Oxford United respectively by scores of 4-1, 5-1 and 6-2.

Their longest unbeaten run in the league stretched across a six-game period between 14 December-4 January. However, Carrick's side still only picked up two wins over Millwall and Hull City respectively during that time.

On the flip side, Middlesbrough also endured a period between 4 January-21 February where they were only able to register one win in nine games across all competitions, with eight of those games being Championship fixtures.

Therefore, Boro just haven't been able to build up an extended surge of momentum and positivity at any point this season, with that feel-good factor often dissipating just as quickly as it arrived.

As such, addressing this issue will clearly be of great importance for Middlesbrough next term.