Middlesbrough don’t have the numbers compared to Bristol City, Cardiff and Nottingham Forest but are making up for it with team spirit

Neil Warnock seems to relish being the underdog.

Faced with a tricky away trip to league leaders Bristol City, without his injured captain or last season’s top scorer, the odds seemed stacked against his Middlesbrough team on Tuesday night.

Boro may not have the biggest squad in the Championship, but they certainly made up for the lack of numbers through their sheer determination and team spirit at Ashton Gate.

In the final few minutes, teenage centre-back Nathan Wood was even playing as a striker after replacing the exhausted Chuba Akpom in stoppage time.

Warnock squeezed every last drop from his side against the high-flying Robins, who had recorded four wins and a draw in their opening five league games.

The visitors waited for their chance and took it after a mistake from City defender Taylor Moore allowed George Saville to score the winner 17 minutes from time.

Saville, who has started every league game under Warnock, may not be a flair player who can beat a man or score a shedload of goals from midfield, yet he certainly puts in a shift.

As Warnock put it after the match ‘he covered every blade of grass, but he wasn't on his own.”

Impressively, Boro didn’t concede a single shot on target against a side which had netted 10 goals in five league matches and were the Championship’s second highest scorers before kick-off.

The Teessiders have now gone five games unbeaten in the second tier, and have only been narrowly beaten by a recently-relegated Watford side on the opening day.

That resilience and solidity starts from the back, with goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli a vocal presence who keeps his team-mates in check.

After switching to a back four ahead of Saturday’s goalless draw with Reading, Warnock reverted to a back three and wing-backs to match up the Robins in midfield and on the flanks.

For large spells the two teams cancelled each other out, yet the visitors’ defence always stood firm. Dael Fry was commanding in the air, while Paddy McNair and Anfernee Diksteel swept up danger alongside him. They were excellent throughout.

In front of them, the midfield trio of Sam Morsy, Jonny Howson and Saville all knew their jobs defensively and kept the hosts at arms’ length.

Going forward, Boro still appear short of firepower, which is understandable given the absence of Britt Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher through injury.

Djed Spence and Marvin Johnson returned to the starting XI at wing-back and were solid without creating an array of chances from wide areas.

Patrick Roberts also showed flashes of his ability playing just behind Akpom but still looked a little short of match fitness before being replaced on 78 minutes.

City boss Dean Holden felt his side should have been awarded a penalty when Tyreeq Bakinson tangled with McNair in the closing stages, yet replays showed the contact was minimal

"Most of these teams, Bristol City, Cardiff on Saturday, have two squads,” said Warnock after the match. “Forest I think they have 32 now.”

“We have 20 and three of them are injured now.”

Still, you can guarantee Warnock will be relishing the challenge as he attempts to defy the odds yet again.

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