Paddy McNair reveals win target for Middlesbrough if they are to ensure Championship survival

Boro climbed out of the bottom three with a 1-0 win over rivals Charlton Athletic last weekend, McNair scoring the crucial goal to help bolster survival hopes on Teesside.

McNair described the victory as ‘massive’ and says the focus among the squad is to ensure they build on it and make sure they stay out of the drop zone.

“It’s massive to be out of the bottom three. No player likes being in there, especially at this stage of the season,” said McNair.

“We’re out of it now, although we’re only two points clear so we could easily drop back into it if we don’t perform.

“We’ll enjoy this win but get straight back down to work and look forward to next week and the next match.

“We just need to keep our heads up and keep going now. There’s nine games left in the season, and I think we probably need to win four or five to make sure we’re definitely safe.

"You don’t want to go into the last two or three games fighting for your life, where they’re must-win games.

"I’ve been there and it’s not a nice feeling. You want to have that bit of a cushion going into the last few games, and we’ve got ourselves into a position where if we could just get another couple of wins quickly, we’d be a lot more secure.

“We’re out of the bottom three, and just as importantly, we played really well so that’s something to build on.”

Meanwhile, McNair and his midfield partner George Saville have been included in Northern Ireland's squad for their Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Bosnia.

McNair and Saville are part of the 26-man squad for the play-off semi-final against Bosnia on Thursday March 26.

The winner between Northern Ireland and Bosnia will meet either Slovakia or the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday March 31 in the Play-Off final for a place at this summer's tournament.