Luke Ayling reflects on Middlesbrough's play-off disappointment and gives end-of-season aim

Luke Ayling feels the end of the season comes just a couple of games too early for Middlesbrough, as their play-off hopes officially came to an end on Monday evening with defeat to his parent club Leeds United.

Ayling was ineligible to play in the game at the Riverside but has established himself as a regular in Michael Carrick's Boro side of late. He's played an important role in what was a nine-game unbeaten run before the Leeds defeat - providing five assists and playing his part in a defence that's kept five clean sheets in that run.

The results had, against all odds, kept Boro in the play-off picture as they kept the pressure on Norwich City and co above them in the Championship table in recent weeks as the race for the play-offs hotted up. With injuries impacting Boro earlier in the season, the veteran right-back feels Boro have done themselves huge credit to have even been in the race.

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“We’re disappointed not to make the top six," Ayling said. "The boys have done really well to get where we are because there has been so many injuries. We’ve managed to stay in and around it until this point.

"When I arrived, we had some good runs, but also some frustrating times where, particularly at home, we had some results that didn’t go for us. The end of the season probably comes about two or three games too early for us, which is a bit disappointing. But we were nine unbeaten, have something to build on, and we’re hoping to end the season strongly.”

Ayling was speaking to Sky Sports at the Riverside ahead of the clash between Boro and Leeds, which produced a hugely entertaining game of football for the right-back to sit back and watch. Even with his obvious affiliations and ties to Leeds United, he would have loved to have played.

He continued: “I love playing football and I would love to be out here tonight with the boys I’ve built up a good relationship with over the last few months. I would love to be out there to help them because we’re in a good run of form and I would love to carry that on.

"I know what we’re capable of and how much work we put in on the training pitch. Unfortunately I can’t play, so I’ll just have to sit back and hopefully we can see a really good game of football."

We certainly did see a good game of football. Ayling will now be expected to come back into the Boro side on Saturday when Boro travel to Cardiff City for the penultimate game of the season, and the 32-year-old's Riverside loan spell. Out of contract at Leeds this summer though, there remains a chance that he may still be a Boro player next season, though reports this weekend linked him with Chris Wilder's Sheffield United, and his Boro form is likely to present him with numerous alternative opportunities this summer.