STEWART DOWNING pulled no punches after Middlesbrough were deservedly beaten at Millwall and thinks the players rather than manager Garry Monk should be blamed.

Boro had gone into the game at The Den full of confidence after the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.

And Garry Monk’s side started well - Patrick Bamford hit a post and Britt Assombalonga had a header ruled out for offside.

But two goals in six minutes from Jed Wallace and George Saville saw the visitors 2-0 down at the break, before Downing pulled one back with 23 minutes left with a long-range effort.

The defeat meant they missed out on an opportunity to close the five-point gap to the play-offs and they are 15 shy of second placed Cardiff.

Both of Millwall’s goals could definitely have been avoided and a frustrated Downing said afterwards: “I think we started well and had a couple of half-chances. We quietened down their fans. Pat hit the post, Britt thinks he was onside, but we’re maybe clutching at straws a little bit.

“Their goals were unbelievably poor from us as a team. Second half we played some good stuff and created a lot of chances but 2-0 down at a hard place to play gives us a mountain to climb.

“I didn’t see it coming, last week was really good. So we went into the game with a lot of confidence, but if you defend like that you don’t win games.”

The defeat will once again increase the pressure on Monk, but Downing insists it’s the players who are to blame, not their under-fire boss.

“The manager will take the brunt of it, but you can’t blame him for that,” stated Downing. “Players can’t hide behind the manager. If it’s a great goal you hold hands up and say you’ve been beaten by the better team. But they’re not better than us.”

The loss sees big-spending Middlesbrough remain five off the play-offs and Downing continued: “We’ve got to stop saying, ‘we’ve spent this, we’ve spent that’ - you can have the best players in the world but it means nothing if you don’t fight and work hard. If you concede sloppy goals like we have you’re not going to get where we want to be.

“We have to cut it out. If we can do that, we’ve still got a hell of a chance of being promoted.”

Boro’s travelling fans made their unhappiness known at the final whistle and Downing was sympathetic to their anger.

“You get paid to play and perform and if you don’t the fans will let you know about it,” he said. “The fans have come a long way and we’ve conceded goals that they have a right to shout and boo about. They’re booing for a reason - that we’re a good team and we’re letting them down. We’ve got to do better.

“There are teams above us who I don’t think are anywhere near as good us for quality. But they’ve cut mistakes out and that’s why they are where they are.”