Agnew: Boro would not be first team to pull off great escape

Middlesbrough must take encouragement from other great escapes as they look to plot their own route to safety, according to their interim head coach Steve Agnew.

Despite Wednesday's win over Sunderland, Boro begin the weekend still six points adrift of 17th-placed Hull in the Premier League and with only four fixtures remaining, three of which come against teams in the top four, any successful survival bid would rank alongside the most miraculous seen in the division's history.

Two seasons ago Leicester were seven points from safety with nine to play while Sunderland have performed a few Houdini acts in recent years, notably when winning four in a row down the stretch in 2014.

And it is those…