"A way out" - Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough message as pressure builds after Bristol City loss | OneFootball

The Boro boss remains hopeful his side can turn their season around despite suffering their fifth successive league defeat to the Robins.

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick still believes his side can find "a way out" of their dismal run of form after a 2-1 loss to Bristol City on Friday night made it five Championship defeats on the spin.

Speaking via The Northern Echo in a post-match interview at Ashton Gate, the Boro boss confessed to having no excuses for his team's recent performances, but remains defiant that the tide can still turn.

Whilst the 43-year-old retains belief that his side can have a storybook ending to their campaign, the events of Friday night wrote yet another chapter in Middlesbrough's season-long tale of soft goals and surrendering points.

Having taken the lead through former Robins striker Tommy Conway after 37 minutes, second half substitute George Earthy bagged two goals to seal a vitally important comeback win for Liam Manning's side.

"It's on me" - Michael Carrick shoulders blame for Middlesbrough slump but remains hopeful of a turnaround

With a 2-0 win over West Brom on 21 January the last time Middlesbrough tasted victory in the Championship, fan pressure and frustration has reached boiling point with Carrick and his team – though reports last week suggested that he retains the backing of owner Steve Gibson.

Boro's season is rapidly taking on water, but Carrick isn't making the call to abandon ship just yet. He does, however, fully appreciate the situation his side are in.

"It's an extremely tough run. That's how it is. We could have come away with a point, after the first goal you could feel there was a change in the mood in the place. To concede a second goal like we did, it was very disappointing.

"It's not a good run at all. There's a way out for sure. Again, we've been up in a lot of games and not finished the game off and it was the same again tonight. It could have been different but it's not.

"It's on me and we have a really important game on Tuesday. We have to fully prepare and be ready for that."

Middlesbrough must take maximum points from favourable upcoming fixtures to keep dwindling play-off hopes alive

Five losses on the bounce; it's a fact that Middlesbrough can't hide from.

However, in a situation where any silver lining is like gold dust for the Teessiders, four of those defeats have been to teams with genuine promotion aspirations, whether that be automatically or through the play-offs.

Boro's last four outings have been against Bristol City, Watford, Sheffield United and Sunderland respectively. That's a tough run of fixtures for any side to navigate successfully in the division.

But, looking ahead to what's coming down the road for Boro, and they'll see a set of six upcoming games that look ripe for a redemption in form.

Middlesbrough will take on a number of relegation-threatened sides in the coming weeks, with away trips to Stoke, Swansea and Luton Town as well as welcoming Derby and Oxford United to the Riverside Stadium.

On paper, a home clash with QPR on 11 March may prove to be Boro's strongest opponent they'll face between now and the end of March. As such, Carrick's side appear to have been handed a big opportunity to turn their season around over the next six games.

However, with confidence in short supply and self-inflicted wounds continuing to plague the campaign, routine afternoons for the Teessiders have been a rare commodity this season.