Town’s hopes of winning automatic promotion would appear to hang by a thread after they were defeated 4-1 at Middlesbrough. Boro went in front through Daniel Ayala in the fourth minute in an incident which saw Blues keeper Dean Gerken stretchered off, Daryl Murphy equalised with his 23rd goal of the season on 11 and Albert Adomah restored the Teessiders’ lead on the half hour, before Patrick Bamford sealed the victory after the break with goals on 64 and 79.

Teddy Bishop replaced Richard Chaplow in an otherwise unchanged Town side with the on-loan Millwall man dropping to the bench.

Bishop started in the centre of midfield with Jay Tabb moving to the left and Jonny Parr to the right.

Gerken, whose wife gave birth yesterday, continued in goal with Bartosz Bialkowski on the bench with Paddy Kenny also having made the trip.

Kevin Bru was back on amongst the subs after his knee injury, while Stephen Hunt travelled having recovered from his hamstring problem but was not in the 18. David McGoldrick remained in Suffolk but is likely to be in the squad for the home game against Bolton on Tuesday.

Boro were the first to threaten in the third minute when Daniel Ayala chipped a quick freekick behind the Blues’ backline to Adam Reach, but skipper Luke Chambers did superbly to get back to stab the ball away from the midfielder. Referee Mike Jones waved away Boro claims for a penalty.

But from the resultant corner on the left, the home side went in front. The flag-kick was played short to Adam Clayton, who sent the ball over and former Norwich man Ayala headed home.

As Ayala scored, Blues keeper Gerken clashed heads with George Friend and Christophe Berra and required seven minutes of treatment on the pitch before eventually being carried off on a stretcher with his neck in his brace while being administered oxygen. Bartosz Bialkowski took over in goal.

Before Gerken had made it to the tunnel, the Blues were on terms. Tyrone Mings’s header found Parr midway inside the Boro half and the Norwegian turned and brought the ball forward before hitting a powerful shot to Dimi Konstantopoulos’s left.

The keeper got across to save but parried the ball back towards the centre of his goal, from where Murphy stabbed his 23rd goal of the season into the roof of the net.

It had been a remarkable start to the game with Town’s goal having come only 26 seconds of actual playing time after Boro’s.

The Blues were a whisker from going in front in the 21st minute when Tabb cut the ball back from the left and it fell to Murphy, who hit a powerful strike on the turn which struck Freddie Sears before trickling onto the post and into Konstantopoulos’s arms.

After Jonathan Woodgate had replaced goalscorer Ayala - who had been a pre-match doubt with a thigh injury - Cole Skuse smashed a low shot which was deflected wide. From Tabb’s left-sided corner, Murphy headed over.

Tommy Smith picked up the game’s first booking for a foul on Tomas Kalas in the 28th minute, Chambers heading clear former Blues skipper Grant Leadbitter’s lofted freekick.

But two minutes later the home side were back in front. After a well-worked corner on the left, the ball eventually found Adomah on the edge of the box and, as Mings sought to close him down, the Ghanaian international hit a low strike which caught Berra on its way past Bialkowski and into the net.

Bishop’s 33rd minute strike was claimed comfortably by Konstantopoulos, then three minutes later Murphy headed another Tabb corner from the left over the bar.

Town threatened again on 39 from another Tabb left-sided flag-kick. After Mings had failed to get enough on his header, Berra returned the ball from the right and Sears’s hooked effort was blocked.

As the half moved into its final five minutes Adomah shot over from the Boro left, then Bishop screwed an effort wide from the edge of the area after another Blues corner, again on the left.

Town continued to look the more threatening side. With a minute of scheduled first-half time remaining Bishop skipped across the Boro area but saw his effort snuffed out, then Sears following up had his strike blocked.

As the half moved into eight minutes of injury time Bishop was shown his first senior yellow card for catching Friend as they challenged for an aerial ball.

The second of two Bishop corners from the right culminated in Berra’s over-head kick running through to Konstantopoulos, then Patrick Bamford claimed a penalty when challenged by Berra but referee Jones waved away his lengthy protests. Replays suggested the on-loan Chelsea man had a good case.

Just before the whistle finally came, Adomah hit a shot on the turn which was blocked by Mings.

On the balance of the half Town shouldn’t have been behind having been on top for the most part. However, after failing to defend Boro’s only two corners, they could hardly complain about the scoreline.

Having gone behind to Ayala’s goal and lost Gerken to his injury, the Blues reacted well, although Konstantopoulos will feel he ought to have done better with Parr’s shot which led to Murphy’s goal.

After conceding the second goal, the Blues had looked the more likely scorers, although without creating any clear-cut opportunities.

The Blues started the second half on the front, Mings over-hitting an early cross from the left beyond Murphy.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 53rd minute when Reach almost profited from a moment of hesitation between Bialkowski and Chambers but the Boro man was adjudged to have used his hand and his shot had in any case been blocked.

Middlesbrough centre-half Ben Gibson was booked for pulling back Murphy as the Town scorer turned and took the ball away from him in the 55th minute. Sears curled the resultant 25-yard freekick well wide.

The first quarter of an hour had been much the same as the end of the first period with the Blues on top but without creating anything significant, however, on 64 the home side increased their lead.

After a Town ball forward had been cleared and hooked on by Leadbitter, Jelle Vossen deftly sent Bamford away behind the Blues’ backline. The England U21 kept his cool and dummied his way past Bialkowski before tapping the ball into the net.

After Boro had switched Adam Forshaw for Vossen, Chris Wood took over from Tabb for the Blues.

On 73 Reach was booked for a late tackle on Bishop, then two minutes later Clayton hit an effort from distance which flew over.

Bishop played a shot corner on the right to Parr on 78 but the Norwegian’s shot was blocked.

With 11 minutes left on the clock Boro’s fourth goal sealed the result. Bamford dummied a long ball and broke away from Smith before hitting a low shot across Bialkowski and into the net to make it 4-1.

Town were by now looking shellshocked and Adomah wasn’t far from making it 5-1 with a shot from the left which flew wide. At the other end, Murphy cut the ball back to Sears from the right but the former Colchester man diverted it against a defender and behind.

Bamford should have made it five and completed his hat-trick in the 86th minute when Adomah brought the ball forward from halfway and fed him to his left, but the Chelsea loanee shot over.

Luke Varney, who had replaced Bishop for the final six minutes, headed wide from Murphy’s cross from the right, then at the other end Boro sub Forshaw ought to have done better with an Adomah cross, but headed well wide.

As the match moved into three minutes of additional time, Bamford smashed high and wide. Not long afterwards referee Jones put the Blues out of their misery.

Despite the eventual scoreline, the Blues had been in the game up until the hour mark having had a fair amount of the ball, albeit without creating anything which would have tested Konstantopoulos. Town failed to seriously threaten from their 13 corners while Boro scored their first two goals from their total of three.

Bamford’s first goal all but settled the game, the fourth added some gloss and in the end the home side might have won by even more having had plenty of chances in the final minutes with the Blues looking uncharacteristically dishevelled.

It was little consolation that Murphy, who was watched by Ireland assistant manager and former Blues boss Roy Keane, became the first Town player to score more than 22 league goals in a season since Ray Crawford in 1962/63.

The Blues are now eight points behind Boro, who move to the top, with the rest of the challengers in action later this afternoon. Town’s chances of returning to the Premier League after a 13-year absence would now appear to be reliant on winning the play-offs.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Kalas, Ayala (Woodgate 24), Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter (Nsue 88) (c), Clayton, Adomah, Reach, Bamford, Vossen (Forshaw 68). Unused: Ripley, Whitehead, Tomlin, Kike.

Town: Gerken (Bialkowski 10), Chambers (c), Mings, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Bishop (Varney 84), Parr, Tabb (Wood 69), Murphy, Sears. Unused: Clarke, Anderson, Chaplow, Bru. Referee: Mike Jones (Chester). Attendance: 18,909 (Town: 444).

Photo: Action Images

Cakeman added 18:23 - Mar 14 It looks like 6th spot is still very much there for the taking but we must average two points a game from here on in to get it. The way we are playing at the moment, we won't get it but in a strange way I think the pressure is now off us. We have played our best football this season when no expected us to rise up to the dizzy heights of second. We played with much confidence to get there and from memory that was when we took Brentford apart on Boxing Day. Most teams will think we are now a spent force so the players AND Management have to start producing again. We just might surprise. PS might be a good time to let some fringe players have a go such as Kenny, Clarke and Stewart?

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blueboy1981 added 18:27 - Mar 14 dOnk ............... you've forgotten something that matters - we LOST HEAVILY - therefore 0 points reward, for all your tosh.
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BillBlue added 18:31 - Mar 14 Bluefeast - I agree with you wholeheartedly regarding the match reporting, it is dross. Surely their responsibility is to closely cross question the Manager on the topics we discuss here, otherwise why are they there? Remember how willing the EADT was to have a go at the great Sir Bobby at the slightest sign of a blip? I have written three times to that paper on the same topic and not been published once!

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BillBlue added 18:35 - Mar 14 dOnk - did nobody ever tell you that goals win games?
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warktheline added 18:36 - Mar 14 @billblue, that's it, get it all off your chest! Holding such bitterness is not good for the soul. Appreciate being called a little man by you, considering I've been on a diet for 6 months....nice of you to have noticed!
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michael99 added 18:37 - Mar 14 Last 10 games results as follows. With tabb starting W1 D2 L5 without tabb W2 D0 L0 .can anybody spot the pattern? If you are flying u can play with ten men, when you aren't you can't! Always said it and nobody will ever convince me tabb is anything other than a waste of a shirt
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Geoff added 18:40 - Mar 14 It really is time to make the changes for the Bolton game MM has really lost the plot since January, we have no chance of going up i question if the manager and owner want to go up.Lets tell the paying fans the truth, to put the season ticket prices up for next season is a joke they should be lowered. Agree with most on here the writing was on the wall when we failed to invest in January a real failed opportunity to be so close our form is now relegation not promotion we are where we deserve to be.It is time for a change it is not working.

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bostonusablue added 18:42 - Mar 14 dOnk, you are a donk. Boro spanked us and rightly so even if we had more possession, we did nothing with it. Did you wear Stevie Wonders glasses to watch the match?
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d0nk added 18:42 - Mar 14 You would all be saying how great we was if we hoofed the ball up in the air for 90 mins and won 1-0. Fickle comes to mind
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blueboy1981 added 18:43 - Mar 14 BillBlue ........ I think to be fair, the truth is that people are somewhat scared to put anything to MM that would stand a remote chance of offending him - hence the reluctance. We certainly cannot / should not mention the late Sir Bobby and MM in the same sentence - without being specific the difference is tenfold, of which most of us are acutely and rightly aware.

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michael99 added 18:45 - Mar 14 Oh and also been saying for 18 months that smith is useless, now everyone keeps saying "he needs a rest" or "he should be taken out of the firing line for a while"no ,he should never have been starting in the first place! Cover at best always said it and got marked down by u lot.lol
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blueboy1981 added 18:48 - Mar 14 dOnk ............... don't we do that anyway ????? ....... only difference being we lose 4 - 1 and as a result are obviously not capable of winning 1 - 0. Says it all.
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Lukeybluey added 18:50 - Mar 14 I thought their keeper looked shakey today! When we scored our goal i think we realised this and never really tested him again! frustrating as f**k! Also for some reason we like passing the ball 20ft in the air all the time! We never mix it up which is what good teams do!
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bellazzurri79 added 18:53 - Mar 14 To not make the play offs will be a disgrace from where we were. Bamford absolutely ripped Tommy smith apart in that second half...
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d0nk added 18:54 - Mar 14 It just makes me laugh that there is way more people commenting on here when we lose, can't help but have a little bitch. Yeah we lost, get over it. We are still better placed than last year and only a point behind. Beat Bolton next week and we could be back on track but if you lot go out there and sit there and boo the team and get on their backs we will lose. I was swearing and kicking things around my front room too in frustration after the game but look at the stats, we dominated. On another day we would of won that. At least we aren't like Wigan . we have been in a lot darker places than this in recent seasons. We have to stick this out to the end, it ain't over till its over and we are far from out of it yet. Mick is doing what he can with his hands tied. He won't care what gets said on here or in the stands, and credit to him. Up the town! Up the underdogs!

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blueboy1981 added 18:57 - Mar 14 I don't agree with the Smith knockers, yes he should be rested right now - but to be fair he has been one of the players who have had to 'do their best, out of position' for far too long - Smith is one footed primarily, and playing on his wrong side is not easy for him. All players have their best position, not many can effectively play anywhere. Chambers should be in the middle, Parr at RB - no question about it. Our team is currently weak - our squad, even now - has potential that is not being utilised.

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Kesblue66 added 19:02 - Mar 14 One of the first things MM did when he came was to tighten a leaky defence,so what the hell has happened.Could it be keep playing out of form people? Not looking forward to Tuesday,seeing the same old faces.For goodness sake Mick please,please try to be a bit more adventuress,there are other players itching for a chance even though we have a small squad.Season is slipping away.

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warktheline added 19:12 - Mar 14 Absolutely gob snacked that a manger who played CB in his entire career can't work out his best CB pairing! That said, I believe he does, but refuses to acknowledge what everyone knows. For Christ sake man, bloody change it, and let's get back on track....hard to beat is a good place to start. 433, with Murphy,Sears and McGoldrick, when fit, up top. Not rocket science is it! Play to our strengths. Personally believe that's all it will take to get us going again, you don't go that many games unbeaten for no reason, we're a good championship side when playing to our strengths. WAKE UP McCARTHY!!!!

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warktheline added 19:16 - Mar 14 ....same page blueboy ! So frustrating !
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Warkys_Tash added 19:23 - Mar 14 Have to agree with the majority, Smith & Mings are on poor form. We were the clean sheet merchants, no surprise since we stopped defending properly that we have no only 4 Wins from 13 in 2015. Highly depressing. We have waited 10 years for a decent season & now it has fallen apart. On current form we will finish mid table.
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bluesince84 added 19:26 - Mar 14 ok ok ive had a few hours to calm down a digest, allow me to put an uncharacteristic positive spin on things and bare with me... Today was our greatest result of the season and the most important. we have needed a good hiding for months now, edging a loss is to close to victory, we needed to get thrashed as i believe this is the single only thing that can change things around. 442 now has utterly failed. His favorites have utterly failed MM. His tactics have utterly failed him. I hope today was the straw that breaks the camels back. If he now changes things ( unlikely but what choice does he have) then this could be the most important game we have. As they say, you only go upwards when you hit rock bottom.

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runaround added 19:27 - Mar 14 Despite the scoreline, for the first hour we were the better side & created chances but our set piece delivery was awful & our defending shambolic. As well worked as Boro's goals were, our defending made it easy for them to score. Smith is an error ridden nervous wreck & needs resting, Chambers has been found out as a full back & needs to go back to his proper place, whilst Berra & Mings need to massively improve. Skuse needs to believe in his ability to move/pass forward whilst Tabby needs to stick to running around & stop pretending he can take corners as we are not a threat from these as he just floats them. We can still make 6th but higher than that is now beyond us & we cannot afford to keep not winning. Mick needs to swallow his pride & change things. I hope he realises this but fear his stubborness may stop us. To miss out after our earlier run will be soooo demoralising

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TimmyH added 19:38 - Mar 14 '6th place all to play for'...I wondered who would be the first poster to say this (made me chuckle). Really shows just how much we have fallen in the last couple of months - disgraceful!
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blueboy1981 added 19:40 - Mar 14 warktheline ........... credit to you, for being so outspoken about someone who you have backed to the hilt all season. Unfortunately, he isn't currently deserving of the support some, yourself included, have given him. I am now of the opinion that, stubbornness against the obvious, is what it is all about - How can it be seen any differently by anyone ??? We virtually had it in the bag a few weeks back, but I am sure many of our better and productive results were achieved more by default that design - if not, why did he not continue with a 433 policy which yielded good returns ??? Not at all sure anyone understands MM's thinking - or ever will.

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blue_moon09 added 19:44 - Mar 14 Just got home from the game, cant believe the hysteria from part time arm chair glory hunting fans claiming MM should be sacked and players that have got the club to 7th be dropped, it's disgraceful. Town are still only 1 point off the top 6 so there's been no damage done today, maybe the poor result will wake a few up get behind the team 9 cup finals left.
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