FOUR-AND-A-HALF hours and counting. Middlesbrough’s wait for a goal at the Riverside now extends to three full games, and for all that Tony Pulis’ side remain at the heart of the promotion picture, not to mention the top of the table, their lack of an incisive attacking threat is becoming alarming.

Rotherham had not claimed a single away point prior to last night’s game, but Paul Warne’s side rarely looked troubled as they became the third side in a row to neuter Boro at their home ground.

Britt Assombalonga’s stoppage-time strike against Bolton Wanderers on September 19 is the last goal Boro scored at the Riverside, and for all that their defensive strength will ensure they remain contenders at the top of the table, Pulis will have to come up with a way of breaking down a well-organised defence.

His players never really looked like doing that last night, with Martin Braithwaite’s tame first-half effort the closest the hosts came to making a breakthrough. Indeed it was Rotherham who created the best chance of the game, with Darren Randolph producing a superb point-blank save to deny Ryan Williams.

Pulis will point to this summer’s failure to recruit pacey attackers as a major factor in his side’s laboured showings in the final third, but with Rudy Gestede and Jordan Hugill both starting last night’s game on the bench, it would be disingenuous to claim that the options are not there. As things stand, however, Pulis hasn’t really come up with the best way of using them, particularly on home soil.

He stuck with a five-man defensive system last night, but whereas the tactical ploy had proved effective in Friday’s win at Hillsborough, this time around, it played into Rotherham’s hands.

Boro were unable to get sufficient numbers into the Millers’ box, and Assombalonga was rendered utterly ineffective as he toiled against a packed defence.

Stewart Downing tried his best in a relatively unfamiliar wing-back role, but his days of tearing up and down the flank are surely behind him. As a result, a succession of home attacks foundered as Rotherham simply kept their shape and played with two well-drilled banks of four.

Both Downing and Paddy McNair, who replaced the injured Ryan Shotton at right wing-back, spent most of the game in the Rotherham half, but despite dominating possession throughout the first half, Boro struggled to convert their superiority into clear-cut chances.

Rotherham’s compact defensive unit made a decent job of frustrating Boro’s attackers in the early stages, and after a thoroughly unremarkable opening 20 minutes, it was the Millers who would have taken a shock lead had it not been for a sensational piece of goalkeeping from Randolph.

Having chased a long clearance from a Middlesbrough corner, Kyle Vassell found himself clear down the left-hand side after successfully wrestling his way past Adam Clayton. Vassell’s low cross was the ideal weight for Ryan Williams, but while the midfielder looked certain to score as he side-footed from close range, a sprawling Randolph somehow clawed the ball to safety. Given it was the Irish international’s first real involvement, it was quite some save.

The scare momentarily sparked Boro into life, and within 60 seconds, the Teessiders were fashioning their best chance of the first half. Jonny Howson threaded a pass through the heart of the Rotherham defence, releasing Braithwaite into the penalty area.

The Dane probably had too long to think about his next move, and rather than putting his foot through the ball, he opted for a chip that proved easy for Marek Rodak to save. Towards the end of the first half, he directed a swivelled shot over the crossbar after Aden Flint won a downward header. Braithwaite might well be the most talented player in the Boro squad, but his conversion rate is nowhere near as impressive as it should be.

He made another fine break into the box six minutes before half-time, but having received the ball from Mo Besic, his square pass was marginally behind Assombalonga. Close, but not quite. Pretty much the mantra for Boro’s overall display.

Jonny Howson was left frustrated at the start of the second half as his volley from George Friend’s left-wing cross was blocked, but while the hosts remained the dominant side in terms of possession, there was never really a point where it could be said that Rotherham were being outplayed.

Indeed, the visitors served notice of their continued threat six minutes into the second half as Ryan Manning drilled a 25-yard strike narrowly over the crossbar.

The frustration levels continued to grow as the second half wore on, with Boro’s attacking become increasingly frantic, but also increasingly ragged.

Downing, who pushed further and further upfield, saw a low shot squirm through Rodak’s grasp shortly before the hour mark, but despite briefly having the ball at his feet inside the six-yard box, a pressurised Assombalonga was unable to get a shot away.

It was obvious all night that Boro were struggling to break down Rotherham’s unexpectedly obdurate defence, but it still took Pulis to the 72nd minute to change things.

When he eventually turned to his bench, the Boro boss brought on Rudy Gestede to offer a more physical threat in attack and Sam McQueen to enable Downing to revert to a much more prominent position on the right-hand side.

It was interesting that Gestede was chosen ahead of Jordan Hugill – his fellow replacement eventually joined him on the field with eight minutes left - and the Benin international almost made an instant impact as he nodded the ball down for Assombalonga, only for Rodak to block the striker’s shot on the turn.

Randolph had to be alert at the other end shortly after, tipping Michael Smith’s long-range curler over the bar, and as full-time approached, the extent of Boro’s attacking failings was laid bare.

The full-time whistle brought a chorus of boos, and while the league table might not lie, it is currently disguising the extent of the Teessiders’ struggles in their own stadium.