BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes didn't disguise the fact that his team put in a below-par performance, but was relieved to have come out of the game with something.

Matt Derbyshire's 75th minute leveller earned Rovers point, but Middlesbrough had chances before and afterwards to claim all three at Ewood Park.

"It was a little bit flat I have to say," said Hughes on Radio Rovers after the game. "The first half never really got going. It was a poor goal to concede, once again from a set play. and once again we've conceded the first goal and are making it difficult for ourselves.

"But in the second half we had a go, threw more people forward, we were more dynamic, but credit to the players we got back on level terms and who knows if something had dropped for us we might have nicked it which probably would have been unfair to 'Boro.

"We are a little bit disappointed really, there was never any stage in the game when we got any momentum, it was very stop-start."

The Rovers boss admitted that they had to ride their luck in the second period when Middlesbrough had several excellent chances to claim all three points.

"They had a few breakaways in the second half when we were trying to get back into the game, you are always susceptible to that," added Hughes.

"In fairness to them they are good on the break, they are a little bit like us in many ways in the way that they are set up at the moment, it lends itself to playing away from home, I think their away form is very good of late, I don't think they've been beaten since October time so they are doing okay away from home, we have to take that into context.

"Today we needed to be a lot more on the front foot, obviously conceding the goal helps their game plan once again. Team come here and when they score first they can just sit back and look to hit us on the counter-attack, which in fairness 'Boro were very good at.

"It was a frustrating day but we may look back at this and say it is a good point."