Tarmo Kink claims Tony Mowbray didn't give him a fair chance to stake claim for Boro place

Tarmo Kink claims he wasn’t given a fair chance to establish himself in the Boro first team.

The Estonia international joined Scottish Premiership outfit Inverness Caledonian Thistle late last week.

He was set to make his debut on Saturday but the club’s Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Raith Rovers was postponed until Tuesday night due to a water-logged pitch.

Kink joined Boro in the summer of 2010 from Hungarian club Gyori ETO.

He was signed by Gordon Strachan and played in all but one of Boro’s opening 11 league fixtures that season.

However, following the Scot’s resignation, Kink had to make do with a fringe role under Tony Mowbray, who guided Boro out of a relegation dog fight and into mid-table by the end of that campaign.

The following season saw Kink make just one substitute appearance in the Championship as a rejuvenated Boro climbed into play-off contention before Christmas 2011.

Kink eventually joined Ukraine side Karpaty Lviv in February 2012.

Explaining why he was reluctant to utilise Kink, Mowbray said back in April 2011 that the winger was “desperate to do well for the club.

“Obviously he’s frustrated over his lack of opportunities but my responsibility is to the team,” he added.

“Tarmo’s talent is very obvious, but by his own admission he finds the physical nature of the Championship a lot different from where he has come from.”

Speaking at the weekend, however, Kink insists he wasn’t given an opportunity to prove himself.

“If the manager doesn’t give you any game time, how can it work out?” he argued.

“With Tony Mowbray, I was sitting on the bench for six months. I played for about 10 minutes in the January.

“If you don’t give me game time, how can I show myself? This is the problem.

“In the first season at Middlesbrough, Mowbray started to push me and I came up with goals and assists. It was ok.

“In my second season, I didn’t really play at all. But I’m not the first or last player for that to happen to. Sometimes these things happen.”

Kink claims that playing in England will help him adapt to life in the Scottish Premiership.

“That’s why I find it easy to come back here,” he told the Inverness Courier.

“I know what the lifestyle and training is like and what players want from the game. It’s much easier because of my Middlesbrough experience.”

Following his stint with Lviv, Kink joined Italian club AS Varese, from where he went out on loan to former team Gyori on loan and then joining Hungarian side Kaposvari Rakoczi.