Middlesbrough at risk of wasting promotion chance as season swings in the wrong direction

Middlesbrough have dropped yet more points in their quest to win promotion back to the Premier League. This was supposed to be their season, their opportunity, but once again, this time against Coventry City, they failed to live up to Michael Carrick's challenge and get the job done.

As has been discussed many times in these column inches, this is a good Boro team - or at least it has the makings of being one. But, now 13 games into the new season and with only five wins, they're at real risk of wasting what is a real opportunity this season.

The fact of the matter is, the league is not as strong and is far more open than it's been in recent years. But the harsh reality for Boro after their 3-0 defeat to Coventry at the Riverside is that the pendulum has once again swung in the wrong direction. For the first time this season, they are now worse off than at the same stage last season - and regardless of the context, that is of concern.

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Last season got off to a dreadful start, followed by an eventual turnaround to an extent. Having waited eight games for their first win, they went on a long winning run to drag themselves back into contention. They didn't ever quite make that next step to actually being in the top-six, however. This season has been far more inconsistent, at least as far as results are concerned. But it's fair to say, despite the points record, this is a more complete Boro side as far as performances are concerned.

Saturday was not a particularly good performance, though. As far as the final result - a rather harsh one on reflection of the whole game - the early red card for Hayden Hackney is undoubtedly a huge moment. We'll never know what would have been and what might have happened had Boro remained with 11 men. It's fair to say they were poor even before Hackney's dismissal for a second bookable offence, but the game was open and Boro had their chances on the transition.

They didn't get started in the manner they would like though. Edgy and sluggish, they made poor passing decisions and failed to control the game as they normally would. Coventry had two goals ruled out for offside within 15 minutes. Hackney's red card rather typified the start they were having, with both cautions coming as a result of challenges needed because of his own heavy touches.

The irony is, Boro were actually better after going down to ten men. Jonny Howson replaced Finn Azaz and Boro started to get more of a foothold in the game. They had to be cautious as far committing to the attack was concerned, and they missed Ben Doak's counter threat as Isaiah Jones failed to have the same impact in the Liverpool loanee's fatigue-induced absence.

But Boro had a strong 15-minute spell after falling to ten men before Coventry started to push as half-time approached. There was a feeling Boro needed the interval when the Sky Blues found the opener three minutes before the break. Bobby Thomas ghosted into the box unmarked, perhaps a consequence of having the extra man to commit.

Despite that, Boro were the better team in the second half too. Inspired by an early moment after the restart where Tommy Conway won possession and sent Boro on the attack, they immediately looked to have more impetus and purpose after the break. In truth, before Coventry bagged their second on 76 minutes, Boro looked the most likely to grab the next goal.

“I think the boys felt it themselves," Carrick said of half-time. "They felt it in the first half, that they were right in the game. We felt we had a genuine chance of still getting something from the game. Yeah, I said a few things to them at the break, but actually, I could sense that they were believing in themselves and I think that proved to a certain point.

"We had opportunities and moments around their goal where it could have fallen for us or we could have taken them. We looked in a good place at that stage but the second goal makes it unravel."

The game did end up getting away from them. Carrick was particularly frustrated with the manner of the goals conceded. He felt Coventry weren't made to work hard enough for them. That's probably a fair assessment, though the visitors were ruthless in overloading the penalty area and making use of their man advantage.

But Boro can ultimately only have themselves to blame. Their slow start ultimately set the tone for an error-ridden 20 minutes that resulted in Hackney's rash challenge while already on a booking. He'll learn from that, and so must Boro as a whole. This league being as it is, one off day has by no means determined their season, but too many more will.

Carrick said: "The way the game has ended and we've lost, it's important we don't let this get to us too much. It can go that way. If you get a man sent off, anything can happen in the game. It's important to take a step back and reprepare for Tuesday and freshen it up.

"This league can throw things where results happen. Generally, our performances have been really good. Today we didn't start particularly well but we'll clear our heads and bodies and move on to Tuesday and Saturday quickly."

QPR in midweek now feels like an important game. Boro's win there last season felt like a particularly important one too. While this Boro side are better than that Boro side of last season, they now have one thing in common - they are playing catch up.

No standout sides this season means Boro still have a massive opportunity to make something of this season. They have the ability and quality to do so as well. But they've now also left themselves with little room for error if they're to avoid spending this season within reach without never taking that leap - which was pretty much the story of last season. This season was supposed to be different, but right now, it isn't.