MIDDLESBROUGH manager Chris Wilder vowed that his players will ‘come out swinging’ in response to Tuesday night’s painful defeat to Cardiff City but there were nowhere near close to landing any kind of killer blow to a Rotherham United as the pressure ramps up for the Teessiders who head into the international break perched in the relegation zone.

With two wins from ten, Boro still have time on their hands but they look at a loss as to where those answers are going to come from.  

Boro have had to deal with the weight of expectation heading into the season but tonight, it was the weight of pressure that was which was completely abundant around the Riverside. A subdued home crowd and a tense atmosphere was palpable around the ground.

A goal would have done wonders to alleviate the pressure but after an uneventful opening to the game, Duncan Watmore was offered up a chance when Richard Wood fluffed his clearance in the Rotherham box. He couldn’t match the composure from Tuesday night as he side footed his volley over the bar.

Watmore was once again at the heart of the action after picking up the ball on the left. He produced a dazzling run by shrugging off Dan Barlaser before nutmegging Cameron Humphreys in the box. His cutback found Isaiah Jones who could only slam the ball into the side netting.

The Millers hit back as Barlaser played a short free-kick into space in the box for Connor Washington. His shot on the turn was heading wide but Jones was on hand to stab behind for a corner to prevent a Rotherham man from turning the ball home.

As the game wore on, the groans increased from the home crowd. Every misplaced pass or spell of Rotherham pressure was met with nervousness as fans tensely watched on. Rodrigo Muniz ended the half with a shot that deflected wide of the right hand post but in truth, it was an uneventful first half. While Boro were dismantled in the first half against Cardiff, they just weren’t clicking against the Millers.

In Watmore, Boro had a spark that looked the most likely to ignite a fire in their belly. But from Muniz flick over the top of the defence, he did brilliantly to bring down the ball and take it past keeper Johannson in the box. He could only divert the ball off the inside of the post as both sets of players watched the ball trickle across the goalline and out the other side. Agonisingly close but much better.

Just after the hour mark, Boro found a bit more groove to their build up play with Millers boss Paul Warne, dubbed the Championship’s Pep Guardiola, growing frustrated as he watched on from the sideline. A slick passing move saw Riley McGree feed the run of Watmore but his cross was deflected off Wood into the side netting in the nick of time.

Both sides threw triple substitutions onto the field with ten minutes to go but for different reasons. The Millers looked to preserve a point whilst Boro were pushing for all three.

But in truth, the home side’s changes failed to have the desired effect. Matt Crooks thought he had spurned a golden chance when he latched onto a header inside the box whilst being caught in the face by Viktor Johansson in the process. However, he was spared his blushes by the offside flag.

The referee brought a close to a tough watch for all involved. The Millers fans celebrated their side’s impressive start to the season sitting just outside the play-offs but it was an entirely different story for the home support who, just like they did on Tuesday night, booed their players off the pitch.

No doubt there will be a lot of soul searching around Rockliffe over the next fortnight. The international break has come at a time when Boro are rapidly running out of time to turn their season around. But as things stand, it appears there are not many out there who have the answers to Boro’s torrid start to the season.