TONY PULIS was delighted to see Britt Assombalonga’s 90th-minute equaliser strengthen Middlesbrough’s promotion prospects, but the Boro boss admits his side will have to improve markedly if they want to cement a top-six position in the final six games of the season.

Assombalonga’s close-range header salvaged a point at Burton Albion, who remain bottom of the table and destined for League One, and with Bristol City, Millwall and Preston all failing to win, Boro remain well placed as they head into the final month of the campaign.

However, while their failure to beat Wolves on Friday could be attributed to the quality of the side sitting at the top of the league, their lacklustre display at the Pirelli Stadium was much more alarming.

Boro were second best for long spells against a Burton side that have now gone 16 home games without a victory, and Pulis admits his players will have display a much better attitude in the matches that remain.

“There are no gimmes,” said the Boro boss, who watched his side concede a sixth-minute goal to Marvin Sordell. “When I was at Stoke and we got promoted, another manager rang me up and said, ‘What was the secret?’

“I said, ‘We turned up every week’. Every game, whether we played at the top clubs in the best stadiums or whether we played Scunthorpe away, we turned up. That’s what the players have got to understand.

“It’s a great league, but it’s a very competitive league, and if you don’t turn up and you don’t give 100 per cent, and your mind is not clear on it, you’ll get turned over. That hasn’t changed.”

Boro’s players lacked composure and cohesion as they struggled to create chances, and it was almost the hour mark before Burton goalkeeper Stephen Bywater was forced into his first save.

Collectively, it was the Teessiders’ worst display under Pulis by a distance, but as was the case on Friday, results elsewhere went in Boro’s favour.

Preston lost to Derby County in the lunchtime kick-off, Bristol City suffered a home defeat to Brentford, and Millwall could only claim a point as they drew 2-2 at Ipswich Town.

“Irrespective of what you say to the players, on Friday we played Wolves in front of 28,000 people on a carpet of a pitch, with a great atmosphere and everything else,” said Pulis. “Two days later, you come to Burton and it’s completely different.

“From playing in front of a big crowd, to coming here and having to really battle on a pitch that was slow and a bit bumpy and difficult, they (Burton) fully deserved to be winning the game. In the last 20 minutes, they obviously dropped back in a bit, as you do, and we got the goal that gave us a point.

“It’s a vital point when you look at it. We’ve gained a point over most of our rivals today. We’ve got six games left, and we’ve gained a point on most of our rivals.”

To Pulis’ credit, he changed things at an early stage, hauling off Jonny Howson in only the 36th minute and replacing him with Assombalonga.

The formation was switched to 4-4-2, with Howson showing his frustration as he hurled his top into the dug-out after trudging from the field.

Pulis confirmed the switch was purely tactical, citing the rutted playing surface at the Pirelli Stadium as a factor in his decision.

“We’ve played three in there, and we’ve played some good stuff this year,” he said. “Howson is a good footballer, but with the pitch the way it was, I thought it was better to have two strikers up there and try to get the ball up to them. There were so many players off it, it was just tactical, nothing else.”

Assombalonga wasted a good chance before he scored, blazing over the crossbar after turning in the box, but his header ended a three-month wait for a goal and Pulis is hoping it will inspire him to even more success in the remaining six games.

“He’s got a goal now, so hopefully that will spur him on,” he said. “He missed a great chance just beforehand when he came inside, he should roll that in the back of the net really. He blasted it over the bar and you think it’s going to be one of those days again. I’m very pleased for him.”