26 stunning images of Middlesbrough fans as 16,794 watch Blackburn Rovers FA Cup clash – gallery

Middlesbrough were backed by almost 17,000 fans inside the Riverside Stadium for the FA Cup third round 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers – and we were there to capture the best fan pics.

Chris Fryatt was at the Riverside for this fan gallery of images from the game between the Championship rivals. Boro boss Michael Carrick, meanwhile, was disappointed with his side’s performance as they crashed out of the FA Cup at the third-round stage.

Carrick made seven changes to his starting line-up, and his understudies failed to impress as they failed to seriously threaten Blackburn’s debutant goalkeeper, Balazs Toth.

Carrick said: “We’re disappointed to lose the game, and definitely in the way that we did. No goal is a good goal to concede, but that was one I thought we could have done an awful lot more to stop.

With that, I’m disappointed. Actually, it was a close game with little to offer. Both sides didn’t pose much of an attacking threat or spark. One goal seemed to decide the outcome of every game. I was disappointed by that, as it turned out.

We had moments, but we found it difficult to dissect them. Though there were a few chances, we were ultimately unable to locate it that day. We simply didn’t have enough of a difference to work well together. That moment was ultimately discovered, and it’s disappointing.