TOMMY Conway had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes when the Middlesbrough forward darted into the box and won a corner.

Without breaking stride, he dashed to pick up the ball, legged it to the corner flag and tried to take a quick set-piece. Fussy referee Matthew Donohue stopped him in his tracks but that moment in isolation summed up the spark and urgency the summer signing provided from the bench. He helped Middlesbrough find an extra gear against Portsmouth and with it the equalising goal they deserved.

And with his "real purpose" from the bench, Conway offered the Riverside a first glimpse of why Boro identified the capture of the Scotland international as a transfer priority this summer.

On show in the final stages on Saturday wasn't just Conway's quality but an early indication of what lies beneath. Regardless of how good you are from the spot, it takes courage and confidence to grab the ball and take a penalty in the last minute on your home debut with your side trailing 2-1.

“It takes a lot of character to take the ball in that moment and fair play to the other boys in that moment for understanding that," said Michael Carrick.

"It was a good penalty - something he is good at, but nevertheless, a really good moment for him.”

Even before he sent Will Norris the wrong way and secured Boro a point, Conway had made a difference.

“He’s got that about him, Tommy, a real intensity and presence and personality on the pitch," said Carrick.

"He’s here for a reason and you can see he’s got a real purpose about him. He showed that straight away in training and then again here. The game wasn’t an easy one for him last week, but I thought in this one, the way the team were playing, it was an easier one to come into and I thought he played the position really well."

The position Carrick is referring to is No.10, just off Emmanuel Latte Lath. That's where Conway has been used from the bench in his first two outings and might well play again against Stoke City on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup second round if Carrick understandably decides that Josh Coburn deserves the chance to build on his display in the previous stage of the competition.

Regardless of where he plays, Conway looks a nailed on starter against Stoke. As does Micah Hamilton. It's a chance for both summer recruits to get crucial minutes under their belt. And a chance to stake a claim to be in from the off at Cardiff City next Saturday when Boro will look to turn the positives Carrick took from the Portsmouth draw into three points.

There were two main differences between Boro's games against Derby and Pompey. The first, obviously, the outcome - on this occasion Carrick's side managed to salvage something. The second, Carrick's verdict.

For all Boro had dominated at Pride Park, Carrick wasn't particularly satisfied with the display. He thought his side plodded and were a bit predictable. On Saturday, though, despite the obvious frustration at having to settle for just one point, the head coach left the Riverside extremely satisfied with what he'd seen from his players.

READ MORE:

There were, though, two questions he needed to answer. Is a lack of cutting edge an issue after managing to score just two goals - both from set-pieces - in their last two games despite having 50 efforts?

And what can be done about the individual errors that proved costly against both of the newly promoted sides?

"From our perspective, we continued to create well and continued getting in which was no accident," said Carrick in response to the former question.

"So, a lot of the work, I’m really happy with the boys and how they’ve taken the things we worked on since Derby in. But, the last bit is the last bit. The more we get in there, the more the have an understanding of what it looks like and the positions they should be in, hopefully the more goals we’ll score and the more chances and half-chances we’ll create. The amount of times we’re getting into the opposition box is a lot, and hopefully we’ll soon see the benefits of that."

As for the latter: “I don’t think the mistakes are something we should dwell on," he said.

"Of course, we need to be aware of it and it’s something we can’t keep doing, for sure. That’s me stating the obvious. But in terms of where we’re going over the course of the season and the team we want to be, that’s on the side really."

After Isaiah Jones' error at Derby, it was Seny Dieng and Matt Clarke involved in the costly mix-up against Portsmouth, the keeper and defender colliding as they jumped in unison to win a header, allowing Christian Saydee the easiest of tap-ins.

The striker's finish for his first goal after just two minutes was another simple one, free in the box after the defence had shuffled across to cover for Lukas Engel, who had gone walkabout. Engel struggled on Saturday and will struggle to keep his place in the side when Neto Borges arrives.

Matt Clarke's header against his former club had cancelled out Saydee's first goal. Portsmouth keeper Norris was excellent in the second half but fortunate to stay on the pitch after repeated time-wasting despite being booked. Substitute Harvey Blair was also lucky not to avoid a second yellow when he wiped out Anfernee Dijksteel.

Boro need to cut-out the defensive errors and stop gifting the opposition a leg-up and giving themselves a lot to do. But they were eventually rewarded for sticking at it against Portsmouth and Conway was rewarded for making an impact and a difference from the bench.