MIDDLESBROUGH will not dwell on their last-minute sucker-punch that denied them ascension into the automatic promotion spot on Saturday evening, Ben Gibson has declared.

Boro conceded a 95th-minute equaliser when Rudy Gestede bundled home a Blackburn corner amid claims that goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos had been fouled.

The 1-1 draw denied Boro’s place in the top two on a day where results elsewhere fell in their favour, but Gibson revealed that he and his teammates have already moved on from it and are focusing on Saturday’s trip to Millwall.

"That happens in football, we're on to the next game now. We were in for cool down on Sunday and we talked about it, and how we put that behind us, we're on to Millwall away on Saturday,” said Gibson.

"You've got to think like that, especially in the Championship, when the games come thick and fast. If you dwell too much on the good times or the bad times, you're going to struggle. You need to move on from things fast and look forward to the next game.

“That's the good thing about the Championship, if you have a bad week you don't have to wait too long for the next opportunity to put it right.”

Despite Boro’s focus shifting to the next game, there are outstanding issues for the club and manager Aitor Karanka to deal with.

The Spaniard could face an FA charge after being sent to the stands following his protests at Gestede’s goal – but may not hear back for 48 hours once the governing body has received referee Mark Clattenburg’s report.

Meanwhile, there are injury concerns for Boro, with Konstantopoulos not training on Sunday as a result of the push on Saturday – although he is expected to be fit for the trip to the New Den on Saturday.

Ryan Fredericks, however, is a more serious concern, with the full-back, currently on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, limping off on Saturday, and could be out for three or four weeks.

Fredericks’ absence, allied with the continued absence of Damia Abella, could see Karanka move Emilio Nsue to the right-back berth, or Dean Whitehead could fill the role.

Whatever the injury concerns, Gibson feels there is a special feeling developing on Teesside with Middlesbrough’s decent form in the league.

“You can feel it in the streets, in the restaurants where you go, people are talking about it,” said Gibson at Sunday night’s Football Writers’ Association North-East Player of the Year award ceremony, at which he was named young player of the year.

“They're really excited about the prospect. But as a team we're really just taking it one game at a time. You can’t get carried away in this league, it'll soon bring you down to earth.”

Gibson paid tribute to the Boro academy after his award on Sunday evening. He said: "It's been a great production line for Middlesbrough and that's down to the people from the bottom up to the top. It's testament to the manager who isn't afraid to throw young players in and to all the staff who have been there right from the beginning, and long may that continue.”