No wins from their two games since the international break included last weekend's frustrating defeat to rivals Sunderland, leaves Boro chasing the early pace-setters once again. Having already dropped ten points this season, their promotion credentials rely on them starting to pick up far more points than lately.

Liverpool teenager Ben Doak's first goal for Middlesbrough helped to earn a 2-0 win over Stoke at the Riverside Stadium.

Follow live coverage as Middlesbrough face Stoke City in the Championship today. An increasingly competitive second tier in English football remains an intense and exciting competition, with the prize of a place in the Premier League on offer at the end of the season.