Hull City 2 Middlesbrough 1

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GARETH Southgate has pinned his faith on youth this season and enjoyed relative success as a result, but if ever a result proved he needs more of an experienced head in the Middlesbrough side then this was it.

Southgate admitted this was a game he expected to win and the visitors looked like doing so after taking the lead in the 79th minute.

Tuncay Sanli broke the stalemate with a sublime back-heel finish to complete a flowing move involving Jeremie Aliadiere and Justin Hoyte.

Despite being second best to Phil Brown’s Hull City for large periods this was a golden chance for Boro to secure their third away win of the season courtesy of the Turkish international’s fourth goal of the campaign.

Instead of protecting their slender advantage with care, however, Southgate’s men snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with some naive defending to allow Hull to come from behind and get out of jail.

Hull substitute Bernard Mendy was allowed acres of space on the right, even though his equalising goal was fortunate to say the least.

He pulled the trigger from a tight angle and when his shot struck the post it rebounded on to Ross Turnbull’s head before rolling across the line just 60 seconds after Sanli had put the visitors ahead.

A point would have remained a good result for Boro, but with just six minutes remaining the otherwise impressive David Wheater felled Brazilian star Geovanni with a clumsy challenge.

It left referee Steve Tanner with little option but to point to the spot and send-off Wheater.

Marlon King converted the penalty to secure Hull’s seventh win of what is turning into a remarkable season.

Cooler heads would have helped Boro’s chances of shutting up shop and leaving Humberside with three points.

Southgate knows he must somehow add experience to his squad when next month’s transfer window re-opens.

He insists he has no money to spend and it looks increasingly likely that winger Stewart Downing will have to be sacrificed so Southgate can make some new signings.

Fresh speculation suggests Downing will secure a £12m move to Tottenham Hotspur, with former Boro favourite Jonathan Woodgate believed to be instrumental in helping Spurs lure Downing to White Hart Lane.

Southgate will be loathed to lose one of his most influential players but equally he knows he might have no choice if fresh faces are to arrive on Teesside.

He will never admit it but Southgate must be regretting his decision to sell George Boateng and Lee Cattermole last summer.

Boro started brightly and could have taken the lead inside the opening three minutes.

Wheater and Emanuel Pogatetz just failed to connect with Didier Digard’s corner.

Moments later Sam Ricketts produced a fine block on Aliadiere’s goal-bound shot while Bo Myhill denied Downing with a fine save and then produced another impressive stop to keep out Aliadiere’s deflected strike.

A bright start turned ultimately dark due to Boro’s inability to keep the ball when it mattered most and Southgate could now consider a move for Wigan’s Michael Brown should some of the funds from any sale of Downing be made available.

Southgate said: “We have to learn to be more solid and tight.

“When we are ahead in a game we have to make sure we take advantage of this.

“We weren’t at our best in this game but we were as good as Hull and should have at least come away with a point.

It’s a game I expected us to get a result from.

“A draw would have been fair. When you go ahead at that stage you expect yourself to win it.

“The key was keeping that lead longer than we did, but we were naive in the way we played that 90 seconds and that is when youth can cost you.

“The penalty was extremely harsh especially given the fact that the pictures clearly show that Geovanni is offside to start with. He is coming back from an offside position and that gives him an advantage.

“We can do nothing about the referee’s performance.

However it is a bitter pill to swallow.”