Shotton confident of solving Boro puzzle

RYAN SHOTTON says a killer instinct is the missing piece in Middlesbrough’s promotion jigsaw. At 1-0 up against Hull, through Britt Assombalonga’s close-range finish, they were heading top of the table but a failure to add to their tally saw them slip to third when Jarrod Bowen converted a penalty for the struggling hosts. ‘We’ve spoken about it a lot, we know exactly what we’ve been lacking,’ said Shotton. ‘We’re not denying it and we’re not shying away from it. We’ve got to put it right on the pitch and take advantage of the size of centre halves we’ve got. ‘We should be getting plenty of chances to score each week from set-plays and we haven’t done enough of that. We’re brilliant one end and we’ve just got to improve in the final third by getting touches on the ball. ‘It’s the last piece in the jigsaw and we’re not far away from getting it.’ Boro manager Tony Pulis believes Mo Besic, a late substitute, will add a different dimension to his side in the coming weeks after finally getting up to speed on fitness following his summer move from Everton. ‘The reason we brought him in is because he travels quickly through the pitch with the ball,’ said Pulis.