MIDFIELDER Neil Danns believes Wanderers' alarming post-Christmas slide down the table has not been helped by an inability to keep a settled side.

The Whites head to second-placed Middlesbrough tonight looking to arrest a run that has seen them drop to 18th in the Championship and just six points above the drop zone.

And while Danns concedes the form has been far from good enough, he says a catalogue of injuries has played its part.

Boss Neil Lennon has not picked the same starting XI in the last 12 matches – the last time his selection was unchanged came in the home win against Blackburn after a fourth successive clean sheet in the previous game at Millwall.

It will become 13 tonight with Matt Mills suspended and injured trio Andy Lonergan, Tim Ream and Filip Twardzik unavailable.

Danns said: “When the manager came in we had the same team every week but injuries have forced him to chop and change.

“So it's hard when there is no consistency in the team.

“We are not using that as an excuse and no matter what team the gaffer puts out we still feel confident of getting a result.

“But it plays a part.”

Danns is positive ahead of the trip to Teesside, despite a huge 23-point gap from Wanderers to a Boro side sitting second and two points off the top. And while the proximity to the relegation zone is naturally a concern, he says they can still look up as long as they don’t put in a repeat of their horror show at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Liverpudlian added: “It is a worry when you are looking over your shoulders; we are still confident we can get back up the table.”

"If we hadn't had a red card then I thought we would have got a draw [at Forest].

“We can still give anyone a game. I definitely believe in the team's ability."

“It took us a bit to get going again after Christmas, but we beat Fulham 3-1 and we created enough chances to win the Watford game.

“We haven't played the greatest against Forest but the previous two performances we were creating chances, though we were soft at the back.

“That sloppiness continued against Forest and it’s something we really need to look at quickly.

"Every game is 'must win.' We will continue to have that mindset.

“Middlesbrough have been flying in the league but we are going there to win."

Lennon has plenty to think about before picking another changed starting XI tonight and possibly a switch in formation.

Whichever shape and personnel he chooses, though, he is demanding more from Danns and his midfield colleagues.

Lennon said: “We had back three against Liverpool and kept a clean sheet, but at Rotherham we lost four goals with a three. You can talk about formations all day long but whatever formation, we are conceding goals.

“It's not just the defensive players we need to worry about; it's the midfield as well.

“Our midfield was poor on Saturday with big holes in it. That wasn't acceptable either.

"The back six have got to do a lot more for us in terms of making sure we are still in the game.”