THIS was not the way Tony Pulis would have liked to have celebrated his first anniversary as Middlesbrough manager, nor was it the sort of festive celebration the fans and players wanted either.

For the seventh time in the Championship this season, Boro failed to win at the Riverside Stadium and this time not only did they fail to score again in front of their own fans, they also endured a 1-0 defeat to managerless Sheffield Wednesday.

Adam Reach, a graduate of the Middlesbrough academy, was the man this time to infuriate the Teesside crowd with a 20th minute winner which arrived from the Owls’ only shot on target throughout the afternoon.

But it was a goal that arrived courtesy of some neat creativity, which was something obviously lacking from the men wearing red and now Middlesbrough have dropped to fifth; with just a two-point cushion keeping them in the play-offs.

A year on from being appointed on Boxing Day last year – ironically after Garry Monk was sacked having beaten Wednesday at Hillsborough – Pulis could argue they are in the play-offs, having sat ninth at this time 12 months ago.

But Middlesbrough wanted more and everyone knows it. The focus is on the transfer window, when the manager wants to add the pace to his ranks that they failed to attract in the summer.

But more and more fans are growing in frustration with only second from Bolton (6) boasting a worst scoring record at home this season than Middlesbrough (11).

Loud boos greeted the final whistle, and there were cheeky chants of “attack, attack, attack” directed Pulis and the players’ way on a couple of occasions during the 90 minutes.

But Middlesbrough, who have won just one of their last eight home dates, didn’t do enough to deliver the result they craved and Pulis’ men are now nine points behind the top two.

Having finally delivered a December win at Reading, the next challenge facing Middlesbrough was to deliver a performance and result at the Riverside.

Things have not gone as well as planned on Teesside turf and having not won six of their games at home, that is one factor that is in desperate need of addressing heading into 2019.

Fans were hardly enthused by the formation sent out by Pulis against Sheffield Wednesday, with five at the back and four midfielders not appearing to be as adventurous as many would like.

Stewart Downing’s return allowed him to play a little further forward in a support the striker role, while wing-back Paddy McNair was asked to replace the injured Ryan Shotton. Downing was quick to exert his influence too.

Within minutes of the start he had tested goalkeeper Keiren Westwood into a low save at his near post, palming the ball away strongly after an effort from outside the area. His corner soon after saw Aden Flint head over too.

Wednesday had already seen signs of improvement over the weekend after beating Preston. They hoped to make it two wins from two under the caretaker management of Lee Bullen following the departure of Jos Luhukay last week and dug in.

Former Sunderland and Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce, who was in charge of Aston Villa when they won at the Riverside in the play-offs last May, is the leading contender for the job, but was keen to take a break over the festive period.

And if Bruce does take over then he can take heart from the performances post Luhukay, and Reach will be integral to any revival – with Middlesbrough fans wishing they had his creativity in their ranks.

Reach’s take down from Barry Bannan’s perfectly weighted ball over the top of the defence was perfect for the winger to then apply the neat finish low and beyond goalkeeper Darren Randolph inside 20 minutes. That was the cue for the atmosphere to take a turn for the worse.

Middlesbrough had only scored five times in their previous team’s home games, so sections of the support chanted “attack, attack, attack” at Pulis, who then had to hear misplaced passes jeered and booed with less than half an hour on the clock.

There were a few debatable decisions from referee Peter Bankes, but had he awarded a free-kick for handball from Michael Hector or that Britt Assombalonga had been fouled in the area when both players were holding on, the opposition could have been equally frustrated.

Pulis’ answer was to scrap his five-man defence, so the youngster Dael Fry was replaced with an extra striker, Jordan Hugill. Immediately McNair found himself in space but powered over.

Still Middlesbrough couldn’t conjure up a little bit of magic so, after former Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher had gone close at the other end after another clever pass from Bannan, Marcus Tavernier’s attacking intent was given the final 23 minutes.

Soon after Daniel Ayala’s header from McNair’s corner was comfortably held by Westwood and then Tavernier’s flick at the near post was held by the keeper too. Still there was no way through and defeat was on the cards.

The best move Middlesbrough conjured up was when Lewis Wing was introduced. Mo Besic helped move the ball around outside the area and he created an opening for Wing to drill a low effort just wide of Westwood’s right-hand post.

But for that to have arrived with six minutes remaining says it all. This was not a Boxing Day or an anniversary to remember for Pulis and Middlesbrough.