Kim Hellberg confirms what is going on with Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Hayden Hackney has been absent from the Middlesbrough side since the 1-1 draw against Bristol City in March

Middlesbrough’s hopes of automatic promotion took a further dent on Sunday afternoon with a 2-2 draw away to rivals Ipswich Town.

Kim Hellberg’s side twice held the lead at Portman Road, but an 87th minute penalty from Jack Clarke sealed a point for the Tractor Boys.

Goals from David Strelec and Tommy Conway had given the Teesside outfit the lead on two occasions, and a victory would’ve put the two teams level on points.

But Kieran McKenna’s team maintained the three point gap while moving back into the second automatic promotion place.

With Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League already confirmed, there is now only one position inside the top two up for grabs, and Boro have just three games remaining.

Middlesbrough are now also winless in their last seven Championship fixtures, with their last victory coming on 8 March against QPR.

Kim Hellberg provides Hayden Hackney recovery timeline

Injuries have hampered Middlesbrough in recent weeks, with the likes of Hayden Hackney, Riley McGree and Leo Casteldine all absent for the 2-2 draw against Ipswich.

Hellberg has provided positive updates on the latter two, suggesting McGree missed the game due to a knock, while Castledine travelled to Portman Road and could feature midweek against Sheffield Wednesday.

“It’s a small knock with Riley, but he couldn’t play this game,” said Hellberg, via Teesside Live.

“It’s one of those things that can happen on the training pitch, a small knock.

“I hope he will be back on Wednesday, that is my hope.

“If not, it should hopefully be Saturday, it should not be a big thing.

“Leo travelled with us.

“He did his first training session [on Saturday], so it’s now about trying to get him back to the group and involved again.

“We will see if he is ready on Wednesday or Saturday, but it is getting closer for him.”

However, Hellberg claimed that it could be another couple of weeks before Hackney is back in the side, suggesting the trip to Wrexham on the final day of the regular campaign as a potential return date.

“Hayden is more difficult because it’s really just a case of waiting with him,” he added.

“When it’s done, he can go back out onto the grass and we can go.

“It’s very difficult to get an exact timeframe for it. We will see.

“Maybe it’s the Wrexham game, but it’s difficult to know because he hasn’t been able to go out onto the grass yet.”

Hackney has been a key figure for Middlesbrough so far this season, featuring in 38 of their 43 league fixtures.

The midfielder has been absent since the 1-1 draw against Bristol City in March, and Boro are yet to win since his most recent injury.

The 23-year-old contributed six goals and seven assists from his 38 appearances, and he was crowned the EFL's player of the year on Sunday, so Hellberg will be hoping he can return to the side and make an impact on their remaining promotion hopes.

Middlesbrough are now fifth in the table, three points adrift of automatic promotion, with second place Ipswich holding a game in hand.

The Teesside outfit are also six points clear of seventh place Wrexham, so have yet to confirm their place in the play-offs, with Hull City four points back in sixth.

Next up for Boro is a home clash against Sheffield Wednesday on 22 April in a 7.45pm kick-off.

Hayden Hackney has been sorely missed by Middlesbrough

Hackney has been so impressive this season, and putting his previous fitness issues behind him was one of the keys to his consistency in the last year.

Having him back for the potential play-offs will be a boost, but the fans will be wondering what might’ve been had he not been injured over the last few games.

McGree and Castledine coming back is a positive step at least, and the clash against 24th place Sheffield Wednesday midweek offers the team a strong chance at gaining back some momentum again.

It was an encouraging performance against Ipswich on Sunday from Hellberg’s side, but they’ll need to stay at that level over the next few weeks to stand a chance of a top flight return.