APART from a late plague of frogs, it is difficult to know what else remains to go wrong for Middlesbrough during this most miserable of seasons. The club seem doomed. If their manager Gareth Southgate backed a horse in the Grand National, it probably refused at the first fence. Nothing is going right for him.

Despite commanding most of the possession yesterday, and creating sufficient chances to have filched a point before a truly wretched final quarter of an hour, Middlesbrough still succumbed again, chiefly, it has to be stressed, through their negligence in defence.

Bolton’s third goal, by Matt Taylor, encapsulated Boro’s doleful, abject state. His 35-yard touchline free kick, struck with hope rather than expectation into the heart of the area, bypassed everybody in a red shirt and dropped inside the far post. Southgate is fast running out of rope on which to cling and to save his side from the awful drop out of the Premier League. Boro are five points adrift of safety and must still face Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa. Their abysmal run – nine straight away defeats, and only one win in their last 19 league matches – makes shaky any claim that safety is possible.

Southgate conceded as much afterwards when he said plainly: “Salvaging pride is important to us now.” When you are so far off the pace, every match is naturally a must-win, but yesterday’s at the Reebok ostensibly offered the faint hope of some tangible reward.

It didn’t last long, however. Bolton were ahead after just seven minutes, the goal stemming as much from Boro’s dilatory defending as Kevin Davies’ predatory instincts. Emmanuel Pogatetz misjudged an angled cross from Ricardo Gardner and hopelessly mis-kicked. Lurking behind him, Davies drove gratefully in from close range.

Boro yanked themselves level in the 39th minute and this time it was Bolton who were lackadaisical. The ball drifted around dangerously before Tuncay Sanli hooked it through to Gary O’Neil, who clipped his shot beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen. It was Middlesbrough’s first goal away from the Riverside for 11 hours and 20 minutes.

Stonily impassive after falling behind, Southgate was suddenly celebrating in clenched-fist delight. His exhilaration swiftly died. With a minute of the first half remaining, Cahill was given enough time to place his unflustered effort past Brad Jones from six yards. After Taylor’s fluke free kick in the 77th minute, Gardner added to Boro’s ignominy with a clean but straightforward finish.

The bleak result leaves Middlesbrough grasping at all available straws. There is, of course, still talk about the dreamy fantasy of a “Great Escape”. Stranger things may have happened, and Southgate is certainly a better boss than the past eight months suggest. But he sure ain’t Steve McQueen.

Star man: Matthew Taylor (Bolton)

Yellow cards: Bolton: Shittu, Muamba Middlesbrough: O’Neil

Referee: A Wiley

Attendance: 20,819

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen 7, Steinsson 7, Cahill 7, Shittu 7, Samuel 7, McCann 7, Muamba 7, Gardner 7, Elmander 6 (Basham 83min), Davies 7, Taylor 9

MIDDLESBROUGH: Jones 7, Hoyte 7, Wheater 7, Huth 7, Pogatetz 6 (Taylor 34min, 6), Downing 6, O’Neil 7, Bates 6, Aliadiere 7 (Emnes 74min), Tuncay 8, Alves 7