Konstantopoulos shows his Middlesbrough team-mates how to bounce back from disappointment

On Tuesday, Konstantopoulos was left with his head in his hands after an error of judgement enabled Brentford’s Lasse Vibe to claim an equaliser at the Riverside. The goalkeeper began the process of atoning for his mistake when he raced from his line to deny what would have been another Brentford equaliser, and by Saturday evening, in the wake of the 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest that lifted Boro to within three points of Championship leaders Brighton, his salvation was complete.

Konstantopoulos was superb at the City Ground, making crucial saves to twice deny both Eric Lichaj and Ryan Mendes before playing a central role in the game’s pivotal moment as he saved a second-half penalty from Henri Lansbury.

Flamboyant and full of attacking flair before the break, Boro spent most of the second half desperately repelling a series of increasingly threatening Forest attacks. There were other star performers – Adam Clayton and Daniel Ayala were both superb in their respective roles – but four days after he had suffered intense personal disappointment, it was the strength of Konstantopoulos’ character that was the key to the victory.

“That’s football,” said the Greek goalkeeper. “The most important thing as you get more experienced is to realise that you can’t do anything about your mistakes. If you try to overdo things, you just end up making more mistakes.

“I’ve learned that through my career, and I know mistakes are part of the game. When they happen, the most important thing is to keep a clear head and try to do better the next time.

“I think that was the toughest game so far (this season), but sometimes, it’s better for a keeper to be in the thick of the action because it keeps you on your toes.”      

Konstantopoulos’ personal story neatly mirrors Boro’s overall narrative over the last couple of years. There have been plenty of setbacks – the 36-year-old was originally signed as his side’s third goalkeeper and has previously been dropped for both Tomas Mejias and Shay Given, only to win back his place in the side – but every time something has gone wrong, he has responded with a match-winning display.

Other players might boast a higher profile, but Konstantopoulos’ drive and experience are likely to prove crucial factors in the Teessiders’ promotion push. Michael Agazzi’s arrival from AC Milan has provided him with increased competition, but Aitor Karanka clearly values him highly and it would be a major surprise if he was not to remain as Boro’s first-choice goalkeeper for the remainder of the campaign.

“Dimi is the kind of player who transmits calm to the rest of the players,” said Karanka. “His body language and attitude is always calm.

“He is the kind of player where the focus is maybe not always on him because he has not played in the Premier League, but he is the kind of player to build a team (around) and a really good person.

“I am not surprised by his performance because I see him in training every single day, and if you work like he does, games like that are not a coincidence.”

Last season, Konstantopoulos’ age and experience stood in marked contrast to the youthfulness of some of those around him. Karanka cited a lack of experience as a crucial factor in last season’s failure to finish in the top two, and his summer signing policy was heavily weighted towards the acquisition of players with plenty of years under their belt.

Stewart Downing and David Nugent, both in their 30s, are already proving key members of the team, and with 28-year-old Cristhian Stuani also becoming increasingly prominent, Karanka is able to select a side with experience running throughout the spine.

“Experience makes a difference,” said Konstantopoulos. “The reason it helps is because when things aren’t going your way, that’s when you need some experienced players in the team. This season, we’ve got that in pretty much every position. In every part of the pitch, we have players who have been there and done it, and that really helps.”

It also helps when you have the kind of quality that Boro can boast, and having successfully banished a Hillsborough hoodoo last month, the fact they were able to claim just a second win at the City Ground in the space of 42 years provides further confirmation of their promotion credentials.

It took just three minutes for them to break the deadlock, with Nugent turning in George Friend’s low cross after Albert Adomah, whose recall to the starting XI completed his rehabilitation to the first-team fold, narrowly failed to connect with the ball at the front post.

Forest equalised four minutes later, when Matt Mills volleyed home Lansbury’s corner, but while Dorus de Vries produced fine saves to deny Downing, Nugent and Adomah, Boro reclaimed their advantage when Ayala headed home from close range after Kelvin Wilson made a hash of trying to clear Clayton’s cross.

Mounting Forest pressure meant Boro spent most of the second half on the back foot, although Downing and Stuani both came close on the counter-attack, and Konstantopoulos’ smothering save from Mendes was a key moment shortly after the interval.

An even more important save followed 12 minutes from time, with Konstantopoulos keeping out Lansbury’s penalty with his legs after Ben Gibson had inexplicably handled the ball on the edge of the area.

“I’ll give Dani (Ayala) some credit,” said Konstantopoulos. “He said to me, ‘He (Lansbury) usually goes for the middle, so don’t dive’. I told him, ‘I can’t not dive’, but having that in mind, I kept my legs trailing and luckily I was able to save it with them.

“They had the momentum at that time, and if they had scored, it would have lifted them up even more. I did my job. As a team, we have learned to cover each other and make up for each other’s mistakes. In the past, the boys have had my back, so I try to have their backs too.”