WITH Jeremie Aliadiere facing up to the possibility of spending more than a month on the sidelines, Tuncay Sanli is being backed to finally come good in front of goal for Middlesbrough.

Tuncay, a first half substitute for his French team-mate who disappeared with a hamstring strain, was guilty of missing three fantastic opportunities at West Ham United.

The Turkish striker has failed to open his account in a competitive fixture since arriving in the summer but now looks set for a run in the team.

Of his chances at Upton Park, Tuncay's worst miss was when Julio Arca put him clear on goal only to see his lobbed attempt hit the top of the bar.

Nevertheless the Turkey international was one of Middlesbrough's better performers and Arca feels that it is a matter of time before he finds the net.

"Tuncay was unlucky in his finishing," said the Argentinian. "We know how good he is and we have seen how well he can finish in training and friendlies, he will do well for us.

"Strikers rely on scoring the first goal for a club and when he scores his first he will go on and get more goals. We're all sure of that."

Manager Gareth Southgate concurred. He said: "That's as good as Tuncay has played for us. We want him to find that goal and it will give him a fantastic lift. I thought he was one of our bright points."

But despite the positive outlook, there was no hiding from the fact defensive errors cost Middlesbrough dearly in the capital.

"We lost concentration in the second half," said Arca, one of Boro's liveliest players again. "We tried to come back but we just couldn't get that goal.

"We should have defended better, we know that. We let them play and let them score the goals and that's why we paid for it.

"To concede a goal within 20-25 seconds of the second half shows we weren't ready and that's not good enough."

But Arca insists that morale remains high. "We never point the finger at each other, collectively we lost concentration, that's it," said the former Sunderland man. "We can start to think about Sunderland now and if we win on Saturday then everything will be alright again. This was a real punch in the face."

Aliadiere will have a scan on his hamstring problem this morning when it will be determined how long he faces out.