AFTER the feast comes the famine. Having averaged five goals a game in their three matches prior to last night’s meeting with Blackburn, Middlesbrough never really threatened to score one as their three-game winning run came crashing to an end with a 1-0 defeat at the Riverside.

Lacking the creative influence of Finn Azaz, who was unavailable because of illness, not to mention the injured central-midfield pairing of Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris, Boro’s display was reminiscent of some of their lacklustre efforts in the early stages of the season.

Michael Carrick’s side mustered just two efforts on target as they failed to ask any serious questions of a well-drilled Blackburn defence, with Ben Doak’s 81st-minute strike against the right-hand post the only time they really looked like beating former Boro goalkeeper Aynsley Pears in the visitors’ goal.

Doak’s effort came four minutes after what proved to be the Blackburn winner, with Dom Hyam sliding in to convert Todd Cantwell’s low cross. Cantwell’s incisive one-two with Owen Beck was a rare moment of quality from either side, and Hyam broke ahead of Neto Borges to slide the ball home.

As was the case with October’s home defeat to Bristol City, this was another case of Boro struggling against one of their bogey teams. Last night’s game means the Teessiders have now failed to win any of their last ten home matches against Blackburn, a sequence that stretches back to 2012 when Lukas Jutkiewicz got the winner.