Luke Ayling Faces Wrexham Without Hayden Hackney
Luke Ayling will go to Wrexham without Hayden Hackney, who is out with a calf injury for Middlesbrough’s season finale. The 23-year-old midfielder had played in all 38 of the club’s Championship games before going off against Bristol City on 14 March, and Middlesbrough now need a result plus help elsewhere to go up automatically.
Hackney’s absence at Wrexham
Hackney has not featured since that Bristol City match, and his loss has already been felt. Middlesbrough dropped from second to fourth without him, while the team have won only two of the seven games he has missed. The timing leaves one of their most consistent players out of the most important league trip of the season.
Riley McGree could offer one change to the selection picture. The Australia midfielder is in contention to play at Wrexham after missing the past three matches, which at least gives Middlesbrough another option as they try to manage the final day without Hackney.
Hellberg’s promotion route
Kim Hellberg said the situation still leaves Middlesbrough with a chance, but only if other results break their way. Middlesbrough can go up automatically if they win at Wrexham and Ipswich Town lose and Millwall fail to win, leaving the club as outsiders among the three teams still in the race behind champions Coventry City.
Opta gives Middlesbrough a 2.2% chance of finishing second, a number that reflects how narrow the route is. Hellberg told Radio Tees: “There's always pressure to try to win the game,”
He added: “You cannot control what other teams are doing, you have to see what happens. In that way, it feels more like a possibility than something else.” That leaves Middlesbrough tied to events at Portman Road and The Den as much as to their own result in North Wales.
Play-off timing for Boro
If Middlesbrough finish outside the top two and reach the play-offs, Hackney’s return becomes the next issue to sort. The Championship semi-finals are scheduled for 8, 9, 11 and 12 May, and Hellberg will have to wait and see whether the midfielder is available for either leg.
For now, the task is simpler: beat Wrexham, hope Ipswich Town lose, and hope Millwall do not win. Without Hackney, Middlesbrough arrive at the final day carrying a thinner midfield and a promotion route that depends on more than one scoreboard.
