After a period of inconsistency in the Championship, Chris Wilder may have welcomed the distraction of the FA Cup ahead of the international break.
Boro ultimately succumbed by a 2-0 scoreline to a strong Chelsea side, bowing out at the quarter-final stage, but Wilder will be equally satisfied that all of his energy can go into trying to take the North-East outfit back into the Premier League.
Having failed to record back-to-back wins since the middle of January, Boro are certainly not in ideal form, although five wins from 11 league outings have kept them in the running for the playoffs.
Although they sit two points outside of the top six, Wilder will instead focus on the four-point gap to fourth-placed Huddersfield Town with two matches in hand, highlighting that their fate currently remains in their own hands.
In league action, successive clean sheets have been kept against Millwall and Birmingham City respectively, while Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun has netted twice in his last three Championship outings.
Although Boro are naturally regarded as the favourites to see off Peterborough at the weekend, Wilder and co were no doubt left impressed by the performance of their opponents last time out.
Posh were able to end a 15-match winless Championship streak in style, coming from behind to record a 3-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers.
Links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4
All three strikes came either side of half time, Jonson Clarke-Harris chipping in with a double before Jack Marriott contributed a third soon after his team had taken the lead.
Still sitting well adrift of safety, Grant McCann is aware that his players have much work ahead, but their win at the Kiyan Prince Foudnation Stadium was reward for the upward trajectory of their recent displays.
A total of eight goals have been scored in four matches, a flurry of strikes which make up exactly a quarter of their total goals in the second tier this season
