ROTHERHAM twice, Hull City, Sunderland – and Middlesbrough will now add Preston to the fast growing list of games where they’re left regretfully reflecting on what could – should – have been.

Had Michael Carrick’s side left Deepdale with a point on Wednesday night, it would have been deemed a frustrating missed opportunity, such was their dominance for long stages. Somehow, they left pointless.

How? Through a combination of sloppy defending, misfortune and a lack of cutting edge. Preston’s first half opener through Liam Millar was avoidable and their winner through Emil Riis a slice of good luck for the hosts. In between, Finn Azaz opened his account with a stunning strike, one of 20 Boro shots but the only one that hit the net. Carrick’s side once again looked in desperate need of a centre-forward.

And they’re in desperate need of a result to stop the rot. It’s now four games without a win and with the gap to the play-offs now seven points, a top six finish is looking increasingly unlikely. It’s away to runaway leaders Leicester next.

Boro and Preston appeared to be two teams heading in different directions when Carrick’s side thumped North End 4-0 at the Riverside back in November. Preston were still a point ahead in the table but had won just two of their last 10 games, whereas Boro had lost just two in 12.

The gap between Boro and the top six at that stage was just three points and Carrick’s side were climbing and improving – but that momentum has since been lost.

Changes were inevitable after the Bristol City defeat at the weekend and Carrick made four of them. Matt Clarke replaced the injured Dael Fry, Luke Thomas made his first start since joining the club and Riley McGree was back in the starting XI for the first time since returning from the Asian Cup. The impressive McGree pulled the strings and will be key in the coming weeks as Boro look to get back on track.

McGree’s inclusion allowed Carrick to shift Hayden Hackney back into what the head coach admitted was the Teessider’s “best position” in his pre-match press conference and the reunited 21-year-old and skipper Jonny Howson bossed the early stages in which Boro were much the brighter.

But Carrick’s side have made a habit of conceding soft goals of late and Preston’s opener with their first effort on Tom Glover’s goal was another that could and should have been avoided. Rav van den Berg initially cheaply conceded possession but Boro still had opportunities to clear their lines in the passage of play that followed.

Matt Clarke’s attempted clearance of a cross from the right was poor, Jonny Howson was beaten too easily on the edge of the box by Liam Millar, who then beat Glover at his near post. The keeper won’t have liked what he saw when he looked up to watch a replay on the big screen above. His distribution was poor all night and he’ll be fortunate to again keep Seny Dieng out of the team at Leicester.

There was no replay required to know that Marcus Forss should have been awarded a penalty when he was dragged to the deck late in the first half but referee Tony Harrington, who was right there on the spot, bafflingly opted against pointing to the spot.

That incident aside, Boro hadn’t threatened an equaliser before the break. Possession wasn’t a problem, creating clear cut chances was. But after the interval there was more intensity. Boro pinned Preston back and Azaz twice threatened before opening his account with a stunning strike from 20 yards out that gave Woodman no chance.

Boro’s hopes of that strike being a springboard were short lived, for they were level just three minutes. But if the first goal they conceded was soft, the second was desperately unfortunate. Will Keane’s speculative shot from distance deflected into the path of Emil Riis, who couldn’t miss.

From that stage onwards, Boro probed but Preston managed to protect their lead.