Mansfield Town 2 Middlesbrough 2

Boro fell two goals behind within the opening 18 minutes as summer signing Jonny Howson sliced a miscued clearance into his own net and Lee Angol took advantage of some slack defending to slot a simple finish past Dimi Konstantopoulos.

However, Garry Monk’s side clawed a goal back when Finnish youngster Mikael Soisalo drove home a fierce finish, and the scores were level when Dael Fry headed home shortly before the break.

The action slowed markedly in the second period, with Boro still to face Rochdale and Augsburg before the real action begins with a trip to Wolves on August 5.

Last night’s game saw Howson and Cyrus Christie make their first Boro appearances on English soil following their summer moves from Norwich and Derby respectively, but there was no sight of Martin Braithwaite or Britt Assombalonga.

Monk left a host of established players out of his squad, with the likes of Adam Clayton, Marten de Roon, Rudy Gestede, Adama Traore, Ben Gibson and Daniel Ayala all conspicuous by their absence. All six players are expected to be involved at Rochdale on Saturday.

Monk set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Howson partnering Grant Leadbitter at the base of midfield. That meant Gaston Ramirez playing in the ‘number ten’ role, with Adam Forshaw on the left-hand side, but Boro initially looked all at sea as they conceded two goals in the opening 18 minutes.

The visitors’ central-defensive partnership of Alex Baptiste and Fry looked especially shaky, although there was nothing either of the defenders could have done about Mansfield’s opener.

Mal Benning volleyed a deep free-kick across the face of the six-yard box, and a red-faced Howson sliced an attempted clearance into his own net. It might only have been a pre-season game, but the summer signing had hardly covered himself in glory.

Boro came close to an equaliser when Paul Anderson hacked the ball off the line after Fry had met Ramirez’s corner at the back post, but Mansfield enjoyed more joy as they doubled their lead in the 18th minute.

Angol was afforded the freedom of the final third as he burst between Boro’s centre-halves to reach Anderson’s through ball, and the striker calmly slotted a low finish past Konstantopoulos.

Boro would not have expected to be trailing by two goals to League Two opposition, but in fairness to the Teessiders, they reduced the arrears within a minute.

Patrick Bamford slipped Soisalo into space inside the area, and the Finnish winger rifled a superb shot into the roof of the net. Soisalo was signed in January, and spent the second half of last season playing with Boro’s Under-23 squad.

He might well form part of the senior set-up this season, and it was another of Boro’s emerging youngsters who fired the visitors level shortly before the half-hour mark.

Having already seen one effort cleared off the line, Fry made no mistake second time around as he met Ramirez’s free-kick to power home a header from the edge of the six-yard box.

Ramirez wasted a decent chance at the start of the second half, side-footing over after Soisalo pulled the ball back from the byline, but after a hectic opening period, the second 45 minutes were played at a much more sedate pace.

The most notable aspect from a Boro point of view was the half-time introduction of Enes Mahmutovic, a full Luxembourg international who replaced George Friend and slotted alongside Fry at the heart of the back four.

Monk also brought on youngsters Harry Chapman and George Miller in the closing stages, but the neither was able to make much of an impact in a quiet closing spell.

Mansfield (4-4-2): Olejnik; White, Taft, Diamond, Benning; Atkinson, Anderson, Byrom (Collins 87), Digby (Thomas 85); Sterling-James (Slew 71), Angol.

Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Konstantopoulos; Christie, Baptiste (Chapman 64), Fry, Friend (Mahmutovic 46); Leadbitter, Howson; Soisalo, Ramirez (Miller 74), Forshaw; Bamford.

Subs (not used): James (gk), Hegarty, Wing.