The Teessiders head for Sheffield Wednesday tonight knowing victory could take them to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship table with leaders Newcastle not playing until tomorrow.

Boro are currently in third place with 13 points from their six games to date, and Southgate is convinced maintaining that form all season will take them back to the Barclays Premier League.

He said: "Our priority is to try to win this division if we can. Newcastle will have their own agenda and there are probably eight teams in the shake-up to try to achieve that goal, so we have got to make sure we continue to do what we are doing.

"But we are on target for where we would want to be in terms of everything now - points, goals scored, goals conceded.

"Two other teams have had a better start than us, but I know if we maintain the form we have had throughout the season, that tally would have won you the division over the last 10 years.

"Unless there's something exceptional, we will be there or thereabouts, but we have got to just maintain what we are doing."

Boro have lost only once in the league - at Bristol City on August 29 - and Southgate admits winning regularly had bred a new confidence within his team.

He added: "You don't have to lift everybody on a Monday morning when you have had wins and when you feel you can win every game you go into.

"Obviously, we won't win every game we go into, but you feel you have got the chance to and if we get things right, we will win plenty.

"You can have a run of fixtures in the Premier League where you look at the next four or five games and you are scratching your head as to where your next point will come from.

"It's a different type of challenge, but the pressure is the same because I am already looking at the two games this week and thinking we have got to win them.

"We want to win on Tuesday because otherwise, you go into Saturday and you could have dropped off the pace a bit.

"It is a continual challenge to keep winning, and the good thing is when you are in the habit of winning, you want to keep winning and you are driven to keep doing it."

If Boro win at Hillsborough, they could still be kept off top spot by West Brom, who entertain Doncaster at The Hawthorns tonight looking to add to their total of 14 points.

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Preston travel to Scunthorpe, while Sheffield United are at Coventry and Leicester host Peterborough.

Bristol City are on the road at Swansea and QPR welcome Crystal Palace to Loftus Road, while at the bottom, struggling Barnsley travel to Derby, Ipswich boss Roy Keane sends his troops into battle with former club Nottingham Forest and Plymouth look for a first win against Watford.