26 stunning images of Middlesbrough fans as 16,794 watch Blackburn Rovers FA Cup clash - gallery

Middlesbrough were backed by almost 17,000 fans inside the Riverside Stadium for the FA Cup third round 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers - and we were there to capture the best fan pics.

Chris Fryatt was at the Riverside for this fan gallery of images from the game between the Championship rivals. Boro boss Michael Carrick, meanwhile, was disappointed with his side’s performance as they crashed out of the FA Cup at the third-round stage.

Carrick made seven changes to his starting line-up, and his understudies failed to impress as they failed to seriously threaten Blackburn’s debutant goalkeeper, Balazs Toth.

Carrick said: “We’re disappointed to lose the game, and definitely in the way that we did. No goal is a good goal to concede, but that was one I thought we could have done an awful lot more to stop.

“I’m disappointed with that. It was a tight game really, with not much in it. There wasn’t much of a spark or an attacking threat from either side. It always felt like a game where one goal would decide it. As it turned out, I was disappointed with that.

“We had moments, but we struggled to break them down. A couple of opportunities, but ultimately, we just couldn’t find it on the day. We just didn’t quite have that difference to be a good team. In the end, they found that moment, and it’s a disappointment.”