Middlesbrough 1 Notts F 0: Boro’s long wait for win ended thanks to Carayol

Tony Mowbray’s men had tumbled from the automatic promotion spots to mid-table with a haul of just eight points from 51 in 2013, but Carayol’s consummate finish before the break sealed a first win in eight games for the Teessiders.

It was enough to keep Boro within six points of Leicester in the last play-off spot, with Forest remaining a point shy of sixth with three games still to play.

There was an uninspiring start to an ill-tempered half, with the home fans getting on their players’ backs as early as the first minute as Sammy Ameobi lost possession in the centre to let Lewis McGugan shoot just wide.

Jason Steele inspired cheers by repelling a close-range header from Simon Cox before Scott McDonald saw his left-footed drive palmed clear at full stretch by Karl Darlow at the other end.

A stop-start period followed with fans and players alike becoming irritated with a slew of free-kicks issued by referee Mark Heywood, who let several hard challenges go unpunished.

There were three minutes to play before the break when Boro broke the deadlock against the run of play. Josh McEachran threaded a cute pass from deep through the Forest back-line and Carayol dropped his shoulder to cut in from the left and take one touch before drilling hard and low beyond Darlow.

Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte, Bikey, R Williams, Halliday, Dyer (Reach 90), Smallwood, McEachran (Bailey 63), Carayol, Ameobi (Haroun 70), McDonald. Unused substitutes: Leutwiler, McManus, Emnes, Main.

Nottm Forest: Darlow, Cohen, Ward, Halford, Hutchinson (Jara Reyes 70), Guedioura (Majewski 58), Lansbury, McGugan, Reid (Blackstock 78),Cox, Sharp. Unused substitutes: Evtimov, Collins, Moussi, Tudgay.

Referee: M Heywood (Cheshire).