MICHAEL Carrick admitted his Middlesbrough side couldn't find their usual spark in the draw with Stoke City, but the head coach was proud of his players for their efforts.

Boro had to settle for a point against the Potters after Chuba Akpom's opener was cancelled out by Ki-Jana Hoever.

Paddy McNair had a glorious late chance to win it for Boro but Stoke were impressive and good value for their Riverside point.

It's the first time Boro have dropped points at home since Bonfire Night and although there was a "touch of frustration" in the home dressing room, Carrick had nothing but praise for his players.

He said: "I'm proud of the lads, really proud of the lads. It was a tough game. Credit to Stoke, they're a good team, we knew that.

"We knew it was going to be tough and it's the first time we've had that type of game here where we haven't quite find our way. Even the Bristol game we drew, we played some really good football and created a lot of chances.

"It probably shows how well the boys have done and the position they've put themselves in that in some ways there's a touch of frustration but I'm not really that frustrated. I'm proud of the effort, it's just one of them days where we played against a good team and didn't quite have that spark or quality in the end.

"It's two teams, you can't flick a switch. The boys have been fantastic for four and a half, five months since I've been here. It's not a switch you can flick on and off. The boys are human. You have good days and bad days. That's not a bad day, I'm not saying it's a bad day, it's just managing the ups and downs and making the most of each game. We'll take the point, it could be a big point come the end of the season.

"It's a learning curve for us, to manage the emotions and the feeling within the stadium. When things are going well it's easy to enjoy, and when things are going a bit sticky we'll stick by it and play the way we play because that's what's given us success."

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The visit of Stoke was the second of three games in eight days for Boro but Carrick opted against making changes for the game and stood by team selection decision after the game. He didn't sense any fatigue in his players before or during the game.

He said: "The lads are human, it's football. It's alright when it's going well but just because we've drawn a game it doesn't mean it's wrong and everyone is tired and no-one is fit. I thought we finished the game really strong against Swansea, looked really fit and strong. We just played against a good team today. They made it difficult for us, we just didn't quite have that spark, that's the way it goes.

"There's always temptation (to make changes) because we've got a good squad but we felt that was the right team tonight. I still back that. It's just one of them things, we've come up against a good team, didn't quite hit our best. That's football."

Boro closed the gap to Sheffield United to three points ahead of the Blades' trip to Sunderland and while Boro couldn't pick up all three points against Stoke, Carrick was still pleased to get another point on the board.

He said: "You take as much as you can. It's disappointing not to win the game, we had an opportunity at the end there, they've had chances as well. We take what we can. It's not the end of the world by any stretch, we'll look forward to the next game."