Manager Tony Mowbray was left bemoaning a late equaliser from Derby County in their 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
Boro appeared to have won it when Lukas Jutkiewicz claimed his second goal of the night with less than ten minutes remaining. But Paul Coutts forced in an 87th minute leveller for the visitors, although Mowbray believed team-mate Craig Bryson to be in an offside position.
“The lads are very disappointed,” he told the Northern Echo. “Derby showed they are a decent team, tidy footballers, who counter attack very well and they are dangerous as their results suggest. They can give anyone a tough game and it turned out to be but when you go in front late on you expect to win it.
“The frustration is, it was an offside goal in my mind but we can’t change it at 2-2, it is frustrating but on the balance Derby probably deserved something from the game,” he added. “If the officials had done their job properly it would not have been a goal. That’s a fact, not my opinion, a fact. Referees are only human but it cost us.”
A disappointed Mowbray will though surely take significant heart from two more goals for the in-form Jutkiewicz – making it four in three games since returning to action.
Boro are actually particularly short in attack with Ishmael Miller, Curtis Main, Marvin Emnes and Mustapha Carayol currently sidelined. They also witnessed substitute Merouane Zemmama suffering a hamstring problem last night, only sixteen minutes into his introduction.
Earlier there had been speculation of a possible return to duty for out-of-favour Australian international striker Scott McDonald, until Mowbray elected instead to go for youngster Luke Williams.
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