Russell Slade has said that his Cardiff City troops paid the penalty for conceding the first goal in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.

Patrick Bamford opened the scoring on 63 minutes at the Riverside before Lee Tomlin added a second in the final quarter to effectively secure the victory.

Kenwyne Jones netted a consolation four minutes from full time as the Bluebirds slumped to their fourth defeat in six games.

"I thought we looked organised and compact and reduced them to only a few opportunities," Slade told Sky Sports News.

"Maybe the first goal was crucial and they got that. It was frustrating because we started the second half well and from a counter-attack they hurt us.

"If we had stayed in the game and not conceded a second then Kenwyne would have got us an important goal. I was pleased with the defensive set-up and we were much more compact. But ultimately we've come away from two away games with no points and that's frustrating."

City sit 13th in the Championship, 10 points adrift of the playoff places.