GARRY MONK admits Middlesbrough are in a “frustrating period”, but denies the club’s current struggles are due to deep-rooted problems he is failing to address.

Boro slipped into the bottom half of the Championship table as Joe Ralls’ 84th-minute penalty condemned them to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Cardiff City.

The Teessiders only recorded two efforts on target as they failed to win for the fifth game in succession, but Monk claimed they were “the only team looking like winning” before Adama Traore chopped down Nathaniel Mendez-Laing to concede a crucial spot-kick.

The result means Boro have picked up just a solitary point from their last three home games against Cardiff, Brentford and Norwich, and a chorus of boos was clearly audible at the final whistle.

Monk accepts his players are underperforming after a summer that saw more than £40m invested in the playing squad, but the former Swansea and Leeds boss denies there are fundamental issues holding his side back.

“It’s clearly a frustrating period for us,” said Monk, who takes his side to Bournemouth in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup tomorrow night. “When you’re in a frustrating period, and you see the end result, it’s very easy to lose focus on what the players have actually done very well.

“If you look at the last couple of games, we’ve done a lot of things very well. If you look here (at the Cardiff game), there were a lot of good things out there. Unfortunately, we’re just in a period where we’re getting punished for any error.

“That’s the period we’re in, but we’ll stick together and work hard, and know that the good things we’re doing are going to get us through this spell and make sure we come out the other side with some positive results.

“There were a lot of positive things in terms of the way we controlled the game, especially in the second half as we began to push forward.

“We know we’re very close to getting to a situation where those things go for us. We stay focused on the work. We stick together, and we need everyone to help us get through this period. When we do, you’ll see the results from the things we have been doing.”

With Boro having started the season as favourites for the Championship title, Monk understands the frustrations that boiled over as Ralls beat Darren Randolph from the spot at the weekend.

Boro’s fans have been reasonably patient so far, but with more than a quarter of the season now gone, there is a growing sense that the need for new players to ‘bed in’ can no longer be used as an adequate excuse for the ongoing struggles.

The boos at both half-time and full-time highlighted the growing discontent, but Monk insists it is important that everyone sticks together as he looks to engineer an upturn in results.

“We understand the frustrations,” said the Boro boss. “We’re frustrated ourselves as fans and players, and we understand the fans’ frustration. But what’s very clear is that we stick together. We need their support, and you can see how committed the players are to what we are doing.

“They’re all very committed. We’re just in that period, but we win and we lose together. It’s a collective, it’s not about individuals. It’s not about anyone pointing fingers. We stick together, and that’s been a big strength of ours. You can see the spirit they have, and the will to do so well for the fans and for each other. That will get us through this period, and we’re very close to it.”

Traore’s concession of the decisive penalty completed a bad week for the winger, who was dropped from the squad ahead of the 2-2 draw with Barnsley after he was late for the team bus.

He was recalled to the bench at the weekend, and had only been on the field for five minutes when he dived into a reckless challenge on Mendez-Laing.

“It was a penalty, he mistimed it,” said Boro skipper Grant Leadbitter. “Adama is only a young boy, and we have to remember that. But he needs to learn quickly. He’s a great lad, he really is a nice lad to have around, but he needs to learn quickly. We all love Adama at the football club, but he needs to do more and that will help everyone.”