IN TERMS of Steve Gibson’s ‘smashing up’ the Championship wish outlined after enduring relegation from the Premier League, an opening game defeat for new Middlesbrough boss Garry Monk was not the ideal way to start if it is to come true.

But a promotion race has never been won on the first day and Gibson will certainly not be worried by what he witnessed going into Monk’s first home game in charge against Sheffield United this Saturday.

There were a few teething problems at Wolves, like the fact the expensive three-man forward line didn’t look completely on the same wavelength, but the bottom line is that Middlesbrough only lost because of a silly mistake Daniel Ayala will have had nightmares about.

After that Middlesbrough, for all they were never as fluent and creative as people might have expected after their summer spending spree, created the two best chances of the game and were unable to convert.

Wolves might have caused problems, and posed questions of the Middlesbrough defence and goalkeeper, but they were unable to find another way through; so the goal that divided the game stemmed from a costly pass which Ayala is not prone to commit.

Middlesbrough could have put down a marker on day one, by stunning a Wolves team which has also been through its own overhaul under Nuno Espirito Santo. Yet, in hindsight, travelling to a sell-out Molineux, revitalised after a summer of change, was probably one of the toughest starts to have been handed.

Middlesbrough might not have been as effective as Monk – or Gibson for that matter - would have imagined in the first game, but as the minutes wore on at least his team got better.

And it will be hoped on Teesside that that becomes the story of the campaign, where Middlesbrough improve with every game; starting when the Championship new-boys Sheffield United travel north.

Monk said: “We had to go to a team who are quite fancied to do well this season and we’re a work in progress. To leave Wolves and think we had the better chances and we know we’re going to get better, we should take confidence from that.

“In this league we need tempo from the very start that’s the lesson from this game. Overall we deserved something. Any other given day we take the chances we get, that’s football. One game isn’t going to define the season. Got to make sure we can try and get a win next week.”

The chances Monk talks about arrived after Wolves’s 33rd minute opener. Ayala, a picture of consistency during Middlesbrough’s last two promotion chasing years in the division, rolled a daft pass into the feet of Leo Bonatini.

The summer signing from Al-Hilal, who Santo knew all about from his time playing in Portugal with Estoril, then coolly slotted his finish inside the bottom right of Darren Randolph’s net.

Middlesbrough should have still been level at the break. Martin Braithwaite, fresh from scoring in last week’s friendly with Augsburg, glanced a free a header wide from ten yards after a brilliant run and cross from Cyrus Christie. John Ruddy, the Wolves keeper, did enough to put the £9m man off.

Braithwaite was the man who dropped deepest out of the three forwards despite being the more central figure, although Britt Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher were given the freedom to roam too in the new system.

Fletcher, signed for £6.5m from West Ham, will improve the more he plays, but he struggled to make his mark at Molineux and Middlesbrough improved when Patrick Bamford was introduced for the final half hour. He even laid on a pass for Assombalonga behind the defence, only for Ruddy to deny the £15m record buy.

Having brought in three new forwards, it will take time for them to get to know one another. Monk said: “For me we’ve not even scratched the surface with our forward players.

“We had positives last week, and second half you can see how dangerous we can be as a team even without us being at our best. They’ll get better and better. It’s what we trust will happen it’s what we’re doing day by day.

“They’re still learning from each other. It’s a new manager as well with new ideas, new players gelling together.

“We don’t want to waste any time, there’s always pressure that you want everything here and now it’s the world we live in. But for me they’re working very well. Speaking to them at the end I can see the determination.”

Monk has completely changed the way Middlesbrough have been used to playing for three years under Aitor Karanka.

The sight of seeing defensive midfielder Adam Clayton drop into form a back three every time Middlesbrough move forward looks out of sync with what supporters have been used to.

That does allow full-back George Friend and Cyrus Christie to push on and effectively become the team’s wingers, and it was from the latter’s charge down the right that almost led to Braithwaite’s first goal in English football.

But Monk knows there is plenty of room for improvements despite the positives. With Clayton sitting so deep, midfielders Marten de Roon and Jonny Howson seemed reluctant to make bursts into the box to join in with the attacks.

The Middlesbrough boss – whose side were put under plenty pressure for an hour from Wolves’ attacking play, particularly Bright Enobakhare - has made no bones about the fact he is still a distance away from getting the team playing like he wants to. And he is still looking for new faces.

He said: “We’re not talking about promotion, it’s about keeping this group working. It’s a lesson for the group in terms of learning about what the Championship is.

“I’ve said before we’ve done bulk of the transfer work but still, either way, what we have to do remains the same. In good teams a trait you should have is that if you suffer a loss you spring straight back. That’s what we have to do.”