Middlesbrough’s chances of automatic promotion were dashed on Sunday afternoon with a 2-2 draw away to rivals Ipswich Town.

Kim Hellberg’s team led twice at Portman Road, but Jack Clarke’s 87th-minute penalty secured a point for the Tractor Boys.

David Strelec and Tommy Conway had given the Teesside outfit the lead twice, and a win would have tied the two clubs on points.

However, Kieran McKenna’s team retained a three-point lead while moving back into second position for automatic promotion.

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

Middlesbrough have now gone winless in their previous seven Championship games, with their last victory coming against QPR on March 8.

Kim Hellberg offers Hayden Hackney’s healing timeline.

Middlesbrough has been hindered by injuries in recent weeks, with Hayden Hackney, Riley McGree, and Leo Casteldine missing the 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town.

Hellberg has supplied optimistic updates on the latter two, stating that McGree missed the game owing to a knock, while Castledine traveled to Portman Road and could face Sheffield Wednesday midweek.

“It’s a minor issue with Riley, but he couldn’t play this game,” Hellberg told Teesside Live.

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

“I am hoping he will be returning on Wednesday.

“If not, ideally it will be Saturday; it should not be a big deal.

“Leo traveled with us.

“He completed his first training session [on Saturday], so the next step is to reintegrate him into the group and get him involved.

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

However, Hellberg claimed that Hackney might be out for another few weeks, citing a trip to Wrexham on the penultimate day of the regular season as a possible return date.

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

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

“It’s impossible to give an exact timeline. We’ll 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 significant player for Middlesbrough this season, appearing in 38 of their 43 league games.

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

The 23-year-old scored six goals and assisted seven times in 38 appearances and was named EFL Player of the Year on Sunday, so Hellberg will be looking to return to the team and help them with their remaining promotion ambitions.

Middlesbrough are now fifth in the table, three points shy of automatic promotion, with second-place Ipswich having one game in hand.

The Teessiders are also six points clear of seventh-place Wrexham, but have still to seal their spot in the play-offs, with Hull City four points behind in sixth.

Boro’s next match comes at home against Sheffield Wednesday on April 22nd, with a 7.45pm kickoff.

Middlesbrough has missed Hayden Hackney,

who has been impressive this season and has overcome earlier fitness concerns, which has contributed to his consistency in the past year.

Having him back for the potential play-offs will be a bonus, but fans will ponder what could have been if he hadn’t been injured in the previous few games.

McGree and Castledine’s return is a positive move, and the team’s midweek match against 24th-place Sheffield Wednesday provides a good chance of regaining momentum.

Hellberg’s side put up an encouraging display against Ipswich on Sunday, but they’ll need to maintain that level in the coming weeks to have a chance of returning to the top flight.