BRISTOL CITY...................................................................1

Boro’s Daniel Ayala makes a nuisance of himself. Inset, George Friend celebrates after scoring the opening goal and the impressive Adama Traore immediately worried and frantically waved to the benches to call for medical treatment.

Once on, the medics treated Bamford for 11 minutes, carefully placing him on a stretcher.

The Riverside was sombre but no longer silent, all four stands rising to applause Bamford as he was stretchered off.

For Assombalonga, the striker replacing Bamford, the feeling was clearly concern and care. He leaned in and planted a kiss on Bamford’s head as his team-mate – his mate – was carried past.

The football always seems trivial after an incident or an injury such as this but Bamford’s team-mates did well to retain focus and ended the half comfortably on top, going close on a couple of occasions in the lengthy chunk of stoppage time.

Boro certainly finished the half better than they’d started it.

Given all the was on the line, the fear in the second half was no doubt losing the game and City’s decision to replace striker Djuric with right-back Eros Pisano was more than a subtle hint that they’d be happy to leave with a point. So too was the extra time they were taking with goal-kicks and setpieces. There was a moment on 63 minutes which was telling of how the second half was playing out.

Traore received the ball on the edge of the area and looked to wriggle into some room so he could get his shot away.

There was, though, a problem in the form of seven purple shirts and the keeper to beat. Moments later he crossed from the right but Boro were outnumbered. This time eight purple shirts plus the keeper were positioned in the box.

The visitors were happy to protect their point, to see it out, to live to fight another day in the play-off race.

But keeping Ayala under wraps in the box is easier said than done and on 68 minutes the prolific centre-half climbed high to head home a nicely flighted Adama Traore corner. Three goals in three games. Where would Boro be without Daniel Ayala?