“One of those days” - Michael Carrick frustrated as Middlesbrough drop points in Championship promotion race

Sheffield United were handed a huge boost in the race for promotion last night as Middlesbrough were held to a draw by Stoke City. The two teams were left only four points apart in the Championship table after the Blades were beaten by Luton Town last time out.

Michael Carrick’s side could have gone one point from overtaking United in the automatic promotion spot with a win on the Riverside Stadium but were unable to claim their eighth victory in nine games, with former Liverpool defender Ki-Jana Hoever netting the equaliser for the Potters on half-time.

Carrick was left frustrated by the point on home turf and admitted it was just ‘one of those days’ for his side. Speaking after the game, the former Manchester United midfielder said: “I thought it was a tough game and credit to Stoke for that – they have obviously been on a good run.“It’s probably the first time we have had that sort of game since I’ve been here at home. So it probably shows good the boys have done, in some ways there is a touch of frustration but I’m proud of the lads’ effort.“It’s one of those days where we played against a good team and did not quite have that spark or quality in the end.”

Carrick had named an unchanged starting line-up from their 3-1 win over Swansea City at the weekend, however he shut down ideas that his players were exhausted.

“The boys are human,” he continued. “It’s alright when it’s going well, all because we draw a game it does not mean it’s wrong and everyone’s tired.

“I thought we finished the game really strong against Swansea on the weekend – we looked really fit and strong but today we played against a good team and they made it difficult for us. We felt that was the right team tonight and I still back that – we just did not quite hit our best.”

The Blades can now go six points clear in second place if they are to beat Sunderland this evening. Tony Mowbray’s side enjoyed a surprise win over Norwich City last time out, however they had suffered three successive defeats prior to their trip south.