Something had to change for Rovers at half time after an opening 45 minutes in which Tony Mowbray said his team were ‘unrecognisable’.

What followed was three substitutions before the second period got underway, and another formation change.

Mowbray felt his side’s failure to carry out the basics proved their undoing in a first half in which they had Derrick Williams sent off and trailed to a 19th minute Britt Assombalonga header.

Rovers failed to touch the ball in the opposition penalty area, or register a shot of any kind on goal, in a first half where they switched to a back three, to match Boro, after just 25 minutes.

The team selected looked to be one of the most attacking under Mowbray’s tenure, with Ben Brereton, Bradley Dack and Adam Armstrong all chosen in support of Danny Graham.

When asked if the half-time changes were to combat Boro, or as a result of the sending off for Williams, Mowbray said: “Both I would suggest. You have to give the team the best chance of getting a result against what you see you’re playing against.

“The team needed some energy, some drive. Every manager sits after a defeat and thinks whether he could have done something different, picked different players.

“Ultimately what our team needed was some emotion, some players passing and running forward, tackling people, competing for headers, the basics of football which unfortunately for us was lacking in the first half.”

Rovers had more life about them in a second half in which they looked to play off Graham to move up the pitch.

It almost worked, as Graham fired over from a promising position 10 minutes from time, before his header back across goal saw Bradley Dack draw a fine save out of Darren Randolph on the volley.

Mowbray’s four alterations to his starting XI saw Harrison Reed recalled in central midfield alongside Corry Evans, with Richie Smallwood and Lewis Travis dropping to the bench.

But the boss admitted of the opening half: “We were getting over-run in midfield. The formation they played they almost had four in midfield with two sitters and two playing in front of them.

“We wanted to play how we play and ask questions of them but if you don’t pass forward then you’re never going to ask questions.

“The second half we played forward and if we do then Danny Graham can give any centre forward in this division a problem.

“The opposition bench were moaning that he was fouling, but then the referee has a decision to make.

“He gets us up the pitch, gets people around the ball, and we didn’t do any of that in the first half.

“We messed around in the first half, tipped and tapped around our own box, and invited the pressure.

“There was a lack of urgency and to get the ball forward which needed to change and we tried to do that in the second half.”