Bristol City 0 Middlesbrough 1: Substitute Martin hits late winner to satisfy Boro boss Mowbray

The Boro boss felt justice was done when Martin sent an unstoppable 25-yard free-kick beyond David James after James Wilson had tripped Marvin Emnes.

Mowbray said: “We have not got what we deserved from several close games this season so it was nice to come out on top in one at last.

“Bristol will feel they deserved a draw, but we have taken the points with a brilliant piece of skill.

“Malaury hits balls like that in training and had the confidence to take the free-kick even though he hadn’t been on the field for long.

“He hits through the valve of the ball, which makes it swerve. It was a fantastic goal, which rewarded all our hard work.

“We have lost three games this season and bounced back to win the next one each time. That says a lot for the character of the players. I thought the referee gave some decisions wrongly against us in the first half and Bristol will probably feel the same in the second half. I didn’t see their penalty appeal, but home fans often see things that don’t happen.”

Burnley manager Eddie Howe hailed the 2-1 win at West Ham United as the best of his tenure and was quick to praise match-winner Sam Vokes.

Kevin Nolan broke the deadlock for the hosts on 52 minutes only for Chris McCann to equalise five minutes later, before Vokes bagged the winner.

“We defended magnificently,” Howe said.

“But we kept the crowd quiet in the first half and knew if we needed a goal we had the players to change the game.

“It’s the best result we’ve had since I’ve been here, even if not the best performance as we can play better than that But it was about spirit and character.

“David Edgar and Michael Duff were magnificent and the full-backs the same.

“The defenders have taken a lot of criticism, and sometimes for good reason, but they were terrific here.”