Steven Schumacher looked back on a ‘difficult night’ as Wanderers suffered their biggest home defeat of the season.
The Whites were beaten 5-1 by a slick Middlesbrough side which roared to the top of the Championship table with just one loss since defeat in last season's play-off final.
Thelonius Bair pulled a goal back for Wanderers just before half-time to make it 3-1 but after taking four points from two tough away fixtures at promotion hopefuls Wolves and Southampton this proved a test too far for Schumacher’s men.
“Tonight’s the first time so far out of the 12 league games that we've been outplayed and out-battled by a team who are stronger than us,” admitted the Wanderers’ boss. "Sometimes you've got to accept that. We know where we are and we know the capabilities of what they're probably all about as well this season and what they've got.
“Tonight was a tough night for us, but it's one that we'll learn from. We won't get too downbeat about because that could happen to you. Tonight, unfortunately it has in front of the Sky cameras, which is obviously not ideal. But I’ve said you’ve got to keep your heads up because we've played four top teams I think in the last four games.
“Maybe that was just one game too far, but if someone would have offered us four points out of those four fixtures – Stoke, who were in the top six, Wolves, Southampton, Middlesbrough – we'd have taken it at the start. So we're doing okay, the lads have given us everything.”
Wanderers had the first chance of the game through Ruben Rodrigues but could then have lost more heavily but for a superb performance from goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
However, even he was unable to keep the rampant Teessiders at bay as Championship top scorer Will Lankshear added two more to his tally and former Wanderers’ loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry claimed the visitors’ fourth goal which confirmed the outcome.
“It was a bit difficult,” admitted Schumacher after just a second loss in six games. “We knew it was going to be a tough game right from the very start. We spoke about the quality they've got and everything about how they perform.
“We knew what we were coming up against and we said we would have had to be at our very best. I felt in the first half we were a little bit off in our intensity without the ball, although with the ball we created some very good chances and good moments.
“In the second half we got a little bit closer to them. For that first 15 minutes of the second half if we get a goal back, it would have made it interesting. But tonight, as I say, it was a difficult night and no complaints about the result, we got beat by a better team.
“They just had too much for us but we won't go overboard about it. We'll just move on quickly and look forward to the next challenge.”
Watch the full interview from the boss on Wanderers TV