Rob Edwards can solve Middlesbrough FC problem by making Tommy Conway decision ASAP | OneFootball

The Boro striker endured another frustrating night at the office vs Sheffield Wednesday.

Middlesbrough recorded their seventh win of the season over Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, but Rob Edwards' side made hard work of it at Hillsborough.

It was a night that saw the travelling Teesside contingent outnumber the home support, with many disillusioned Owls fans heeding the calls to boycott the game.

For those that did turn up, they were treated to a perhaps surprisingly competitive affair, as Boro escaped from Hillsborough with a 1-0 victory thanks to a sixth-minute strike from Morgan Whittaker - his second in as many games.

Henrik Pedersen's men didn't make it a stroll in the park for the high-flying Smoggies, as they pushed and probed for an equaliser all night long, but just couldn't find a way through Middlesbrough's watertight rearguard.

Middlesbrough can't afford to stay wasteful in attack - Boro got away with it vs Sheffield Wednesday

The sacking of Michael Carrick and subsequent appointment of Edwards has brought about significant changes at the Riverside - largely for good.

One of the more surprising alterations to the norm, however, has been the shift in the strength of the team moving from attack, to defence.

Indeed, under Carrick, Boro were consistently one of the best performing Championship sides in numerous attacking metrics, but his team's trademark Achilles heel was their frailty at the back.

However, through the opening quarter of the 2025/26 campaign, that's been turned on its head, with Edwards' side once again relying on their superbly well-organised and uncharitable backline to see them get out of Hillsborough with all three points and a clean sheet.

After 11 games of the season, only Coventry City (six) have kept more than Boro's five clean sheets in the Championship, with Middlesbrough also averaging the fewest amount of goals conceded per game in the entire division, 0.6 - per FotMob.

The Teessiders registered 19 shots on the Sheffield Wednesday goal on Wednesday evening, with seven of those being on target, but aside from a few smart stops from emergency goalkeeper - and former Boro man - Joe Lumley, those in red and white were largely wasteful in front of goal.

This has been a continued trend for a number of games now, as it was an own goal that saw Boro make the breakthrough vs Ipswich Town before Whittaker netted the winner, and in the game before that, Middlesbrough flung 12 shots at Portsmouth's goal at Fratton Park, but only one landed on target with Pompey running out 1-0 winners.

Stoke City was a similar story, with 12 shots fired towards Viktor Johansson's goal that night, but a goalless draw would be the result.

Southampton saw Boro attempt just seven efforts on goal, with the only one on target being the equaliser from Kaly Sene.

It's time for Rob Edwards to make Tommy Conway decision and call on Kaly Sene instead

In the words of Edwards himself, Middlesbrough's win over Sheffield Wednesday was a 'stressful' one, when it didn't need to have been had Boro been more ruthless in attack, and undoubtedly had a bit more luck from the officials in regards to Lumley's blatant foul on Conway inside the box that wasn't given.

Indeed, Middlesbrough's number nine didn't have much luck all evening in addition to that penalty claim, as despite his typically excellent work rate and industry for the team, the 23-year-old striker spurned numerous gilt-edged opportunities to get on the scoresheet.

A left-footed effort that flew the wrong side of the post from six yards, a back-post header from a yard or so out that went over the crossbar, and right-footed shot that Lumley was able to get a strong hand to when racing through on goal: all of those chances fell for him in the first half.

He could've quite easily had the match ball in his hands by the interval, and further second half chances would fall his way too which he failed to take, before being substituted with 15 minutes to play for Aidan Morris.

As a result, that's now seven league games without a goal for Conway, with his winner vs Sheffield United on 30 August being the last time he found the net in Boro colours.

So, not because he looks a player sapped of energy, but rather because he's perhaps now in a similar situation that Morgan Whittaker found himself in of possibly trying too hard to score goals and thus snatching at chances, Edwards should now take him out of the spotlight, and hand Kaly Sene his first run of starting opportunities.

Since arriving in the summer from Swiss football, 24-year-old Sene has started just two league games for Middlesbrough, with his last start coming against Portsmouth and the other vs Preston, in which he was replaced at half-time by David Strelec.

However, despite playing 596 fewer Championship minutes than Conway so far this season, the former Juventus and Basel striker has been able to match his goal tally of two, with both of his strikes earning points vs West Brom and Southampton respectively.

The Senegalese man was only brought on vs Sheffield Wednesday with six minutes to play, but instantly made a big impact with his pressing and energy, and was unlucky not to win a free-kick on the edge of the box after robbing an Owls defender of possession from a goal-kick.

He displayed his intelligent attacking movement with some clever runs into the box, and had a big chance himself to make it 2-0 in added time, but his effort was also repelled by Lumley.

Sene's energy and goals in spite of his limited action has seen him become an instant fan favourite on Teesside, with many Boro fans calling for his workload to increase as a result of his impactful displays when called upon.

Now feels like the ideal time for Edwards to obey those wishes. Conway is out of form in front of goal, Strelec looks more effective in a deeper role, and he's got a case study in Whittaker that proves a small spell on the sidelines to decompress and take stock before going again in the starting XI, can really bring out the goalscoring form.