Kim Hellberg has two Middlesbrough priorities after Millwall

Frustration has been a recurring theme in recent weeks and recent games but rarely - if ever under Hellberg - have Boro felt the deep disappointment that accompanied the defeat to Millwall on Good Friday.

Priority number one for Hellberg, before we get to the other obvious area that he must somehow address, was lifting spirits, for while such dismay was natural and inevitable - he said the dressing room was a scene of "unbelievable disappointment" at full-time - the head coach and Boro have no option but to dust themselves down and look forward.

The next game is in just over 48 hours. Boro have six to play and while the Millwall defeat was a crushing blow it wasn't the end.

"We promised ourselves that we're going to do everything we can in these seven games, this month and bring all the energy," said Hellberg afterwards.

"That was what we talked about after. Now it's the next one. You go home and handle the game the way you have to handle it, but tomorrow we go in with energy, with a smiley face even if someone up there is trying to test us in some way, because that's what it feels like.

"And then we have to break through and compete until the last kick is played and that's what we're going to do."

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Getting Boro smiling is one thing, getting them scoring is another.

Astonishingly, Boro have had 97 shots on goal in their last four games and only scored two goals.

Against Millwall on Good Friday, they had 32 shots, 17 corners, 66 touches in the Millwall box and finished the game with an xG of 3.12 - and yet once again dropped points.

That's why - and not for the first time - Hellberg spoke with an air of disbelief as he tried to pick the bones out of Friday's defeat.

The manner of the loss, the missed chances and the fact the matchwinner was the striker who left Boro last summer sparked fresh - and understandable - debate about the January transfer window and the inability to strengthen the forward line.

Would Boro have benefited from adding to their attack in January? Undoubtedly. Which is why they tried to do exactly that.

The fact Hellberg's side have won just three in 10 games since adds to those frustrations, but this is still the side and the squad that blew away Southampton and Sheffield United, that beat in-form Norwich, that won well at Birmingham and QPR.

The fact they're without their best player, top scorer and most encouraging January signing right now in Hayden Hackney, Morgan Whittaker and Leo Castledine is hardly ideal, and yet Millwall could have had no complaints had they trailed by three at half-time on Friday.

It's not as though Boro are playing badly. They're not 'bottling it'. They're not running of steam because they're still producing performances that merit victories. Consistently, they're producing better performances than their rivals. It's just that inability to put the ball in the net.

Boro tried to strengthen their striker ranks in January but couldn't land their targets because clubs were either completely unwilling to do business or asking for too much money. Yes, Boro then could have fleshed out their squad with a body but then Hellberg is showing on a weekly basis with Kaly Sene that he's hugely reluctant to use a player who he clearly doesn't rate, trust or deem ready to make an impact.

As for Coburn, would Boro benefit from having their academy striker in their ranks now? Yes. But selling a striker that had struggled for fitness and was unproven at this level for £5m last summer was undoubtedly good business that was celebrated at the time. Plus he wanted to go.

"I obviously was on loan at Millwall, I really enjoyed my time there, and the gaffer was brilliant with me," said Coburn reflecting on his summer decision after Friday's game.

"I was playing a lot of games and that was what I wanted to do. That was the main thing for me and I knew if I went and played games I'd score goals. So yeah, that was basically my decision really."

Did he return to the Riverside on Friday wanting to prove Boro wrong for letting him go?

"Not really," he said.

"I think I was just more concentrated on my own game. I've got nothing but respect for Middlesbrough, they helped me so much, but I was just more trying to concentrate on helping the team as much as possible and, yeah, obviously trying to score goals as well. That's my job."

From Boro's perspective, the focus has to be on what's to come rather than what's gone before. Despite the crushing disappointment of Friday, Boro are still very much in the automatic promotion race. Form can very quickly fluctuate. If Boro keep playing like they did against Millwall, they will win most games.

And there are goals in this side. David Strelec's performance on Friday was a big positive but Hellberg needs to find a way to get the Slovakian in a position where he's more of a goal threat, and the same can obviously be said of Tommy Conway, who has shown in the past he can consistently score at this level. As ridiculous as it might sound, too often on Friday, the chances fell to the wrong players.

Asked whether the inability to hit the net was a concern, Hellberg said on Friday: "Of course. It's also the question mark of what should you do?

"Should you stop playing good football and stop creating chances? So it's what can you do?

"Of course it is a concern and we're working with it every day. It doesn't help to have all those players away that have been scoring a lot of goals for us. So it's a concern, absolutely without doubt.

"But what could you do? Hide? No, hiding is not an option. You have to fight and you have to work through it and that's what we're trying to do. That's why the energy will be important.

"That's why I'm trying to sit here today and say that tomorrow we go again. I'm very proud of the players, I'm proud of the supporters, and if there's someone to blame it's me."

Now is not the time for the blame game. Friday was frustrating and hugely disappointing but wasn't the end. There are 18 points still up for grabs and Boro have shown they are capable of going on a charge. If Hellberg can get Boro scoring, the smiles will very quickly return. Six to go.