Skipper calls for Boro focus

Skipper Emanuel Pogatetz says Middlesbrough's players should accept the rap for the 2-1 defeat at Hull rather than blame the referee.

The Boro central defender felt too much was being made of match official Steve Tanner's decision to award a controversial penalty and send off David Wheater for a professional foul on Geovanni in the area after 85 minutes of the clash. Marlon King stepped up to score from the spot and hand the Tigers a 2-1 win after a Ross Turnbull own goal had just cancelled out Tuncay Sanli's opener for Boro on 79 minutes.

Pogatetz insists Boro should not have allowed the home side back into the match having gone in front so late in the game at the KC Stadium and feels their lack of concentration is more to blame than anything else.

The Austrian stopper told the Gazette: "It was a painful defeat for us.

"We did enough to win. We created the better chances, especially in the first half and they never looked like scoring so when we got the goal that should have been it.

"But what cost us was a lack of concentration. We conceded again straight after scoring a goal and that really shouldn't happen.

"Overall we were the better team and that lapse in concentration has cost us again."

On the penalty, he added: "We were hard done by with the penalty. It was very soft. Very, very soft.

"And I have to say that on the day at the other end it probably wouldn't have been given because we saw in the game that if there was going to be a bad decision then we were going to get it, anyone could see that.

"Maybe the referee did not have his best game and that happens to players as well.

"But I don't really want to complain about the ref really because we should not have conceded the equaliser.

"The danger should have been dealt with first and the questions asked later. We should deal with an ordinary ball like that.

"But after our goal the shape wasn't right and that was the start of the defeat. We have to look at ourselves for what went wrong. It is more about concentration than ability."