Middlesbrough v Albion

We’ve been here before – notably at Hull and Sunderland – but the conundrum is, was this a point won or two spilled.

A little bit of both is the answer because history tells the tale that invariably, however good we have been, a trip to Teesside is generally fruitless for the Throstles.

And while there was bitterness over a controversial penalty award that ultimately cost us dear, the fact that Albion have become so adept at hoovering up points on our travels in games that we would have probably lost in past years is a pretty sweet feeling to have. Because while Middlesbrough may be at the wrong end of the table, they still give precious little away – only five Premier League sides have conceded fewer goals – and on a foul night that had the players squelching through a monsoon that made conditions underfoot especially treacherous, it would have been easy to let the game slip away.

We’ve all seen away sides – us and others - decide that they don’t fancy it on a horrible night, but this side doesn’t chuck in the towel, even though we could have done with somebody throwing a few on at times. Instead, these players properly honoured the immense efforts of 741 travelling members of the Throstletariat, dug in, played well and ended up the thickness of a post, twice, away from victory. Not a bad night all told then.

Which isn’t to say that we shouldn’t be greedy and ask after more of course. In the opening quarter of an hour, it didn’t seem so much of a question of would Albion win as by how many. We assumed total control from the first whistle and earned an early dividend from it just six minutes in when we seized the lead.