Middlesbrough: Ben Doak and Dan Barlaser react to Tommy Conway's brace v Hull City | OneFootball

The Boro striker was in fine form in his team's 3-1 win at the Riverside on Saturday.

Ben Doak and Dan Barlaser have sent praise the way of Tommy Conway after he scored a brace in Middlesbrough's impressive 3-1 win over Hull City on Saturday afternoon.

It was a win that pushed Michael Carrick's team up to 5th in the table, just three points behind rivals Sunderland and was a statement after Boro lost 1-0 to Blackburn Rovers in midweek.

Finn Azaz had opened the scoring for the home side at the Riverside, before Conway doubled their lead just before half-time. Mason Burstow, a player who saw his game-time limited under Tim Walter before he was sacked on Wednesday by the Tigers, halved the deficit with 20 minutes to go. However, Conway added his second to secure all three points late on.

It was an important victory for Middlesbrough, who will admit themselves that they started the season far too inconsistently, and they have slowly started to catch those who have led from the off.

Ben Doak and Dan Barlaser send message to Tommy Conway after Hull City double salvo

While it was a fantastic all-round performance from Boro on Saturday, the headlines will go to Conway for his brace. The 22-year-old has now scored eight goals in the Championship this season since making the move to Teesside from Bristol City in the summer, and he has fit in extremely quickly.

Despite his success against Hull, he still may feel as though he could have found the back of the net more. Nevertheless, it was a superb day for the striker, who struggled to make a big impact in mid-week against Blackburn on a tough night for his team.

The striker's goals earned him praise from two of his Middlesbrough teammates on social media, who replied to the Scotland international gleefully following the win.

Conway posted a short and simple message on his Instagram account after the game, writing: "UTB. 🙂‍↕️"

Middlesbrough are in contention for automatic promotion

Although there is still more than half of the season to go, Middlesbrough have slowly pushed themselves into contention for an automatic promotion spot.

The likes of Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion have dropped off the pace in recent weeks, allowing Carrick's side to catch up and overtake the Baggies. The Black Cats will now be looking over their shoulder after failing to win any of their last six Championship games, and Boro must capitalise when they get the opportunity to go past them in the table as well.

The Teessiders do have a difficult run of fixtures coming up, playing Burnley and Leeds United before welcoming Millwall to the Riverside. If they are able to get through these clashes unscathed, they will only benefit.

Carrick has been excellent since taking over the club two years ago, and with the likes of Conway in form, he will only gain more and more success going forward.