TONY PULIS is pleased with Middlesbrough’s unbeaten start to the season, but again lamented his club’s lack of incomings on deadline day after seeing his side beat Birmingham City said: “The squad is not strong enough to maintain this.”

After drawing 2-2 with Millwall last Saturday, Boro followed up Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United with a 1-0 success against Birmingham, a game more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

Boro were well on top for lengthy periods and would have won by a greater margin had they been better in front of goal.

But Pulis remains frustrated not to have added new players to his squad.

He added: “We've done fantastic to play three games in a week and three very competitive games and to have the energy that we've shown today was a huge credit to the players.

“The lads have been fantastic in the three games but, being perfectly honest with you, the squad is not strong enough to maintain this, just ain’t strong enough, you can dress it up anyway you want to dress it up but I'd rather just be straight and honest with people and let them know how I feel.”

Britt Assombalonga’s 13th minute goal gave Boro the points, but both Assombalonga and Stewart Downing hit the post, and Jonny Howson had an effort cleared of the line.

“I thought it was a game that we could have won and should have won by five or six goals,” said Pulis.

“The chances and opportunities that we created during were absolutely outstanding and, as I say, on another day, I think we've hit the bar twice, we've hit the post twice, we've had one cleared off the line.

“There's been a melee a couple of times where it could have easily dropped for us. Jonny's missed a chance because Stewart's got in the way, Stewart's missed a chance because Jonny's got in the way.

“We're waiting for the whistle at the end but really and truthfully the game should have been buried.”