Boss Paul Lambert was pleased with his team’s overall performance during heir 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough but feels they lack a clinical cutting edge.
"I think the performance level was unbelievably high from us,” Lambert said. "I think we came here and played a really good game.
"We had great chances in the first half and the goalkeeper’s made some good saves. Football-wise, I’m absolutely delighted with the way that we’re playing at this minute, we need a little bit of a cutting edge up top but I can’t ask any more than the way they’re playing.”
Regarding Middlesbrough’s first-half penalty awarded after Jordan Spence tangled with Jordan Hugill as they challenged for an aerial ball, he said: "Do you know what, I think Hugill’s nowhere near to getting it. I think the two of them have gone in and I don’t think he’s anywhere near getting it.
"But I understand why the referee gave it but I just don’t think he was ever going to get there.”
Lambert agreed that the first goal was always going to be crucial: "I thought the way we played was excellent. We kept the ball from them for long periods. They’ve probably got one player on the bench who would cost more than our whole team, that’s the difference in the size of squads, that’s the reality of it.
"But the performance level, football-wise, absolutely brilliant they were to play the game I’m asking them to play it. But we’ve got to be more clinical at the top end, and that’s the been the story of the whole season.”
Asked whether he hoped he’d have a better 2019, he added: "If we can get a few in, I think we need a little bit of help, as I’ve always said. But football-wise they’ve been excellent for me, I can’t ask any more.”
Quizzed on whether there have been any developments regarding Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede, who is understood to be among the Blues’ targets, although with his very significant Boro wage believed to be a potential stumbling block in the way of any possible move, Lambert said: "No, I don’t know what the situation is.”
Is the Benin international, an unused sub for the Teessiders today, a player he likes? "I like Messi but I cannae get him! I wouldn’t read too much into that.”
Is any help on its way? "We’re trying, we need a few in. There have been names that we’ve tried to get, identified to get. It’s not just one or two, we need a few in to give them a hand.”
Town have crucial home games against Millwall and Rotherham over the next fortnight. Asked how big those games are in the context of the season, Lambert responded: "Every game’s big. The first day of the season was our biggest game, so what’s changed from the first day of the season to now? What’s changed? Nothing.
"Because the way the table is the way results are, the next two games are important. But what happened in August? What happened in September and October? If it was all going great I wouldn’t be sitting here. That’s the difference.
"But the way the lads have been playing has been absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant the way they’re playing football, what they’re doing, the movement and the work-rate they’ve given me.
"Absolutely brilliant and there’s one thing for sure, I’ve got their backs 100 per cent because they’re my team, absolutely no worries there whatsoever.
"The crowd are with us, we need a little bit of help, a little bit more experience, lads that maybe know the league as well, I think that’s important.”
Lambert insists the Blues, still seven points plus goal difference from safety, can stay up.
"Yes, the way we’re playing,” he added. "We need a little bit of help, and as I said before the crowd are right behind us.
"Middlesbrough are one of the favourites to go up with the squad they’ve got but we came here and had a right good go at it.”
Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis was pleased with his team's display but thought they ought to have won more comfortably given the chances they created.
"Pleased with the performance, but disappointed again with the chances that we’ve created and not scored enough goals, or as many as we could have," he said.
”But you can’t fault the players, they worked really hard today and I think they deserved to win the game.”