NOT only did Tony Mowbray have to come to terms with Middlesbrough’s first defeat of the Championship season last night, he also revealed his squad will be stretched for Saturday’s visit of fourth-placed Derby County.

Mowbray was disappointed in the manner in which his side’s unbeaten start to the league campaign came to an end at Nottingham Forest, but he also has a number of selection worries for the next game.

As well as Barry Robson picking up his fifth booking of the season to warrant a one-match ban, Boro could also be without Rhys Williams, Matthew Bates and Kevin Thomson against the Rams.

Boro had to finish with ten men at the City Ground when Thomson had to sit the final few minutes of the defeat on the bench nursing a tight hamstring.

And with Williams and Bates both left out of the squad to rest respective groin and foot problems, Mowbray will be keeping an eye on the treatment room over the next few days.

“Rhys has an injury that has been coming for a few weeks,” said Mowbray. “He has been playing for Australia and come back and he has aggravated the problem.

“He was too sore and we needed to rest him and hopefully he will be fit again soon. It is a worry, we have been managing it for a while and he has not been asked to work too hard.

“Matthew has a foot problem which he has been carrying for a week or two.

It is too sore at the moment and sadly he is also unavailable.

“And then Kevin felt his hamstring tighten. He had to come off otherwise he would have looked at six to eight weeks.

“I don’t know if they will be out this weekend. From having a pretty full squad to choose from we now look like we have to look to the squad to help us as much as it can.”

Mowbray is now having to lift his players after such a poor display, with Marcus Tudgay and Lewis McGugan’s goals ending Middlesbrough’s good run.

But the Boro manager will stress in the coming days not to dwell on the defeat, their first defeat in 16 Championship matches.

“It was a disappointing performance, a disappointing result and we didn’t have a shot on goal in the first half. We have to put it behind us,” said Mowbray.

“We had a few changes. To lose Bates, Williams and Carl Ikeme last week, who have all been the mainstay of our team affected us.

That’s football and you can’t play well every week.

“A second defeat in 22 games is not the end of the world.

“We have been going great. We had won six away games on the bounce but Forest had a new manager and they had a fresh impetus.

“They are a good side with good players.”

Another notable absentee from the action last night was Aussie striker Scott McDonald.

McDonald remained on the bench, as a named substitute, throughout the 90 minutes despite Boro trailing.

And Mowbray, who had him in the team that drew 1- 1 with Millwall last Saturday, is hoping the decision has a positive effect.

“Sometimes you need to break the pattern of play and that’s what I was doing with Scott,” he said.

“If leaving him out gives him a breather to come off the bench and score a goal, a different feel for him, then great, let’s hope so.

“I know he is one of the reasons why we have done well and we have to break the pattern for him. I just took him out of the firing line and we will see how it goes.”

• Boro have completed the signing of former Nigeria international striker Bartholomew Ogbeche on a short-term contract until the end of the season.

The 27-year-old has impressed enough during a trial to persuade Mowbray to take a closer look at him over the next few months.

Ogbeche was a free agent after leaving Greek side Kavala, following four years in Spain where he had spells with Real Valladolid, Cadiz and Alaves. He previously played for French giants Paris St Germain, had loan periods with Bastia and Metz and a stint playing in the United Arab Emirates.

He was not involved last night.