Barnsley game is 'massive' admits Middlesbrough winger Marcus Tavernier

Both sides head into the Riverside meeting in desperate need of a morale-boosting win, with Boro without a league victory in ten matches and on their worst run of form at this level since 1985.

Rock-bottom Barnsley's situation is even more grim, with the Oakwell outfit without a Championship success in 16 matches since the opening day of the campaign, a 1-0 triumph over Fulham.

But a win for Barnsley on Wednesday would move them to within two points of Boro and increase the pressure on manager Jonathan Woodgate.

Leeds-born Tavernier, who scored the opener for Boro with his first goal in 2019 in Sunday's fluctuating 2-2 draw with more Yorkshire visitors in Hull City, said: "Barnsley is a massive match, definitely. We know that.

"We knew going into these two - Hull and Barnsley - they were massive.

"Unfortunately we didn’t get the win against Hull, but now we go out against Barnsley and get the three points because we know we should be nowhere near this position in the table.

"We set out to try and get three points every single week no matter who it is against. It is not that we are not trying. We are all giving it our all out there.

"We are trying to give the fans what they want."