Luke Young insists Middlesbrough are currently paying the price for their poor start to the campaign.
Boro defender hopeful of good end to season
Luke Young insists Middlesbrough could have been challenging at the top end of the league if they had started their campaign better.
A torrid start to the new season saw Boro win just two of their opening 15 games and they were hovering just above the relegation zone.
However, since the turn of the year Boro have turned things around and Saturday's win over Fulham saw them rise to 12th.
Now Young, a summer signing from Charlton, wonders what might have been for the Teessiders.
"We know we can have a good end to the season," said the England international.
"To be honest it makes you wonder what we would have been capable of if we had started the season playing the way we are now.
"Plus we have Afonso (Alves) coming in now and his goals record tells you that he is the kind of player that can maybe stick away some of the chances we have been creating.
"We probably won't see exactly what we can do until next season but there are a lot of positives there now.
Solid
"We are looking very solid and difficult to beat now and that's where you have to start.
"We have really tightened up right throughout the team and stopped leaking the goals - and maybe we are not being so open and cavalier in the way we were being early in the season and being punished for it.
"Now, even when we are maybe not playing such spectacular football we are still winning games, which is vital."
