The frustrating let down of a home defeat meant that Leeds completed a 1-0 derby double over Karanka’s men.
The usual assortment of Championship top eight results either underlined the opportunity missed for the reds or mitigated the damage done but still left them in an automatic slot.
Given Boro’s poor record at home against Leeds and in coming back from a goal down you had to fear the worst.
Once Brad Jones-a-like Mejias found the rhyme for his Elland error and instigated the collective comedy of defensive errors that gifted the visitors their goal with just three minutes gone those fears began to materialise.
By well before half time I was texting Ian Gill that the ‘not if they play ‘til midnight’ script was written at the other end.
That was because - in another return to issues we thought had gone, like conceding daft goals - failed finishing that lacked sharpness, quality and ruthlessness was blamed on Silvestri simply exercising the shot-stopping skills he’s paid for.
A blunt Boro have bleated about this sort of thing before but seemed to have put it behind them once they found the will and ways to win which deserted them.
Even though it was Leeds, it would be churlish to deny that Redfearn’s men earned their win with a creditable away performance.
They were resolute, organised and carried a threat on the break in the second half, having come into the game with the confidence of a decent recent run.
Once given the early present gave them something to hang on to they proved resilient in doing so.
Effective though Leeds were, it still took the throwback Teessiders to deny their usual selves at both ends of the park to engineer this defeat.
So, why?
Well, I am going to lay his share of the blame at the door of the head coach, just as I’ve credited him for the great work he’s done.
Briefing the media before games that your charges are ‘exhausted’ is a mistake in all sorts of ways.
Handing in team sheets with repeated – and, as it turns out, rash – rotations that must buck up opponents’ dressing rooms and have heads spinning in Boro’s just compounds that error.
Then why not complete the set by not bringing on the goalgetter you’ve benched who has shown he finds the way to goal when needed until it’s way too late.
But if that’s what you choose to do you have get better than one goal and one point from six against two sides that were in the bottom half at kick off.
So, if you’ve dug yourself into a small hole the first remedial action is to stop digging.
Bolton are the Tuesday visitors and come into the game off the back of three defeats and one win out of their last four in February.
Though they’ve scored in all of those, they’ve conceded 13 and are struggling with injuries and, now, suspensions so they’ll come with a Lennon flea in the ear with ambitions to park the bus.
If all that sounds like a recipe for another ‘Typical Boro’, Karanka and his men must ensure it’s not by recapturing the will to win and the ways to do it.
So, no more talk of tiredness, first picks out from back to front from the off from now on and foot to the floor throughout.
Re-introduce the rock solid routines for a shut out at the back, get clever with the supply again then razor sharp up front and get goals not more hard luck stories.
It’s all stuff Boro have shown themselves capable of and can surely rapidly rediscover with the right selections and set out.
C’mon Boro!!!
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