STEWART DOWNING has urged his Middlesbrough team-mates not to spend too long fretting over the end of their unbeaten record – and instead concentrate on kicking off a new run when they entertain Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Boro’s nine-game unbeaten run came crashing to an end when they lost 1-0 at Bristol City on Saturday, with Wes Burns’ stoppage-time header also halting the Teessiders’ sequence of nine successive clean sheets.

Remarkably, the relegation-threatened Robins have completed the double over Boro this season, but while Saturday’s setback saw the gap to second-placed Hull City reduce to just two points, Downing insists the blip should not be a serious cause for concern.

Aitor Karanka’s side remain extremely well placed with 20 games to play, and with the cancellation of this month’s planned trip to MK Dons meaning Boro are now preparing for back-to-back home games against Forest and Blackburn, the former England winger is looking forward to another successful spell.

“The record has gone, but we just have to go again and win another nine games now,” said Downing. “I would have expected us to bounce back from Brentford, where we won but didn’t play well, but we weren’t able to do that (at Bristol City).

“We just didn’t play to our best. If we had, then we would have won 3-0 or 4-0. If we’d got the first goal early we could have punished them, and the disappointment is that we didn’t do that.

“It’s one we missed out on, and that was hard to take. But we can’t worry too much about it now and the good thing about this league is that it’s never very long before there’s another game.”

That game pits Boro against a Forest side who have drawn confidence from Boro’s slip-up at Ashton Gate.

Forest midfielder Gary Gardner, who is on loan from Aston Villa, played his first full 90 minutes of the season as his side beat Bolton last weekend, and with Dougie Freedman’s team unbeaten in their last 11 matches, there is a growing confidence that Boro could be subjected to another set-back in two days’ time.

“We’re going to have to travel up there and be on top form,” said Gardner. “They’re a top team, but we’ve got a lot of ability here.

“It’s going to take a top performance to beat them, but Middlesbrough are capable of being turned over. Bristol City have just beaten them so we’ll go there, give everything and hopefully get the three points.”

With Boro’s next two matches coming at home, the club’s next away game will be the rearranged trip to Leeds United on Monday, February 15.

The rescheduling was only confirmed on Tuesday, and the Football League has expressed regret at the lateness of the switch.

A statement issued yesterday blamed the delay on legal action taken by Leeds in their bid to prevent further games being rearranged to accommodate live coverage on Sky Sports, with league officials claiming the match was initially selected in December.

“It is a matter of regret to the Football League that supporters of Leeds United and Middlesbrough have only been informed of the new date for this match at such a late stage,” said a Football League spokesperson.

“Like other matches being broadcast during February, this game was originally selected for transmission by Sky Sports in early December, with home clubs asked to make the necessary arrangements at the time.

“However, as was referenced by Leeds United in its statement on December 29, the club has challenged the league ‘through the appropriate legal routes’, which has prevented confirmation of the date of this fixture until now. Due to ongoing legal restrictions, the league cannot comment further at this time.”