Scotland international has new lease of life after position switch.
Scotland international Tommy Conway is ready to take his career to the next level after a change in position saw him hailed as one of the best players in the EFL Championship.
Conway, 24, was included in the Scotland squad for March’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast, but saw his dream of going to the tournament in North America ripped away just weeks later when he suffered a fractured ankle in the second leg of Middlesbrough's play-off semi-final against Southampton in May.
After a summer of heartache, he completed the final step in his comeback by playing 90 minutes for the first time in five months, scoring his first goal of the season as Middlesbrough came from two goals down to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City at the weekend.
Deployed on the left wing as opposed to his more recognisable central striking role this season, Conway has undergone a major positional transformation under head coach Kim Hellberg, and admits it’s given him a new lease of life.
“Kim's been massive for me," said Conway. "When I go out there I really do feel like that when I come up against any full-back. I think you saw that last week [1-0 win vs Wolves] against Kieran Trippier. He just feeds me with confidence and every day I'm trying to learn new things, like going on the outside. I feel like everyone's picked up on that one.
“As well as coming inside, being more unpredictable you want full-backs to think he can go both ways, as a winger that's a strength. I'm learning all the time and he feeds me the confidence and hopefully I can just keep repaying that. When a manager gives me confidence and allows me to go and almost do what you want, within a structure obviously, it makes a big difference. It gives me so much confidence. He openly says how he feels that I'm one of the best in the league and feeds me with confidence.”
Having already contributed three assists this season, Conway concedes that his role as a number nine could be on borrowed time, with Middlesbrough boss Hellberg challenging him to perfect his new left-wing position after being convinced he is more suited to a wide role following his appointment at the Riverside Stadium in November.
"I'm always open to learning,” said Conway. “When Kim came in we spoke about what he thought of me, I was on board with it and I fully bought into it. I could have chucked my toys out the pram, saying I want to be the number nine and play through the middle, but that's not me. I just want to play and help the team in any way, shape, or form. And I'm now learning every day to be a left winger, and I feel like I'm getting better and better every week.
“I'm getting more confident coming up against the full-backs because obviously it's not something I would have done throughout my whole career growing up. I never would have done that, so I do feel like I'm getting better at it and hopefully the goals and the assists can continue coming."
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