Cardiff 1 Middlesbrough 0: Mowbray stays positive after Boro run ends

Mowbray said: “I thought we played pretty well. There is a long way to go in the rest of the season and if we perform like we did (against Cardiff) for long spells then we will be okay.

“Cardiff are a resilient side who defended well and put their bodies on the line. They had to do that. But they got their noses in front. With Peter Whittingham’s left foot, they are dangerous from set-plays and they scored from one.

“But the longer the game went on the chances came and went for us but we didn’t manage to stick one in the back of the net. I picked a team to win the game.”

That meant selecting Lukas Jutkiewicz ahead of Marvin Emnes, who was a substitute until the pair changed places on the hour mark.

Mowbray said: “Marvin is a good player but so is Lukas. Managers live and die by their selections. I don’t regret picking him.”

Cardiff manager Malky Mackay praised the desire in his side after Matt Connolly’s 19th-minute header from Whittingham’s pinpoint corner proved the winner as the Bluebirds equalled a club record with a ninth successive home win.

The Welsh club were forced to overcome injuries to frontline defenders Ben Turner and Andrew Taylor, who both had to be substituted inside the opening half-hour.

They held on for a precious three points which lift them above Middlesbrough and into second spot in the table.

Middlesbrough had chances. Grant Leadbitter’s 30-yard dipping volley forced David Marshall to tip over and Emmanuel Ledesma cracked the woodwork with a free-kick before Scott McDonald fired over.

In the second half, McDonald headed over from close in before Jutkiewicz hit off target.

Cardiff City: Marshall, Taylor (Ralls 26), Hudson, Turner (Nugent 14), Connolly, Whittingham, Kim, Noone, Gunnarsson (Bellamy 61),Mason, Helguson. Unused substitutes: Lewis, Conway, Gestede, Frei.

Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte, Bikey, Friend (Bailey 71), Hines, Leadbitter, Ledesma, McEachran, Haroun (Smallwood 30), Jutkiewicz (Emnes 60), McDonald. Unused substitutes: Leutwiler, Thomson, Luke Williams, Miller.

Referee: O Langford (W Midlands).

Man of the match: Peter Whittingham.