THERE was only one name on the lips of the jubilant Rovers supporters making their way out of the Riverside Stadium.

It was not that of referee Mark Clattenburg who needed to be escorted off the pitch after allowing Rudy Gestede’s controversial 95th-minute equaliser to stand.

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Nor was it that of their last-gasp hero whose 11th goal of the campaign stretched Rovers’ unbeaten run to nine matches and moved them within four points of top spot.

Instead the name on the lips of the inspirational blue and white army was that of Simon Eastwood after he produced a performance of such quality you would have never guessed he was making his first appearance in 10 months.

Then again maybe we should not have been surprised as the goalkeeper does have previous.

Cast your mind back 12 months ago when he came in from the cold to help Rovers to a goalless draw with QPR on what was his Championship debut.

He was excellent that afternoon at Loftus Road.

But on Saturday Eastwood surpassed that display.

He withstood virtually everything Boro threw at him and it is unlikely he will make a better save in his career than the one he produced in the second half from Jelle Vossen.

He was eventually beaten seven minutes from the end of normal time by Patrick Bamford although, tellingly, only with the aid of a deflection.

But it was his heroics up until that point that allowed resilient Rovers to stage their now customary, albeit this time very late, fightback.

If we are being brutally honest, Gary Bowyer’s battlers were fortunate to still be in the game by that stage.

But there is absolutely nothing fortunate about the way they continue to find ways to snatch points from the jaws of defeat.

This young and committed side Rovers boss Bowyer has built has now taken 14 points from losing positions this season.

That said they would have gone down to their first loss since September 30 had it not been for their man between the posts.

With Jason Steele ineligible to face his parent club Bowyer got his decision to hand Eastwood his first start since January 18 spot on.

But privately he may have regretted not playing five men across the middle of the park for the third time in four away matches given the problems Boro posed in the spaces between midfield and attack.

Rovers started brightly enough with Jordan Rhodes sending an overhead kick straight into the arms of Dimi Konstantopoulos and the recalled Ryan Tunnicliffe side-footing over.

But after that latter chance came and went Boro dominated, raining down 13 shots in the first half and 12 more in the second, as they chased the victory that could have taken them top.

Eastwood was equal to the first of the 11 shots that were on target, flying to his left to push a Grant Leadbitter pile-driver aside, but not to the second, as he let a tame Bamford strike slip through his fingers, Shane Duffy getting back to prevent Vossen turning in the rebound.

But after that Eastwood was flawless, denying Vossen once and Bamford three times either side of the break.

Konstantopoulos, in contrast, was a virtual spectator until the 54th minute when he scampered to his left to palm away a Ben Marshall effort.

Better followed on the hour mark when Eastwood made a stop so breathtaking it brought the entire ground to its feet.

George Friend was released down the left and his cross into the area found Vossen who must have thought he had scored when he directed it powerfully toward goal.

But Eastwood showed incredible reflexes to the turn the Belgian striker’s header over the bar one-handed.

Less impressive was Gestede’s attempt from a Markus Olsson cross 13 minutes later.

And the Rovers top scorer, who was left with a nasty bump on his forehead after a collision with Daniel Ayala, would have been made to pay had Eastwood not got his body behind fiercely struck drives from Emilio Nsue and Lee Tomlin.

It was clear it was going to take a piece of magic or a slice of luck to beat the Rovers keeper.

And, with substitute Adam Henley seemingly being impeded, it proved to be the latter as Bamford’s shot nicked off Alex Baptiste and flew into the net.

After 83 minutes of resistance lesser teams would have unable to pick themselves up from such a devastating blow.

But Rovers recovered rapidly and, after the impressive Duffy headed against the woodwork from a cross from sub Craig Conway, they levelled matters in the most dramatic of fashions.

With Eastwood up for a corner it would have been fitting had he got the goal.

Instead it was Gestede, lashing home after substitute Chris Brown, on what was his first-team debut for Rovers, had challenged Konstantopoulos for the ball.

Aitor Karanka felt it was a foul but Clattenburg did not and he sent the irate Boro boss to the stands for taking his protests to the fourth official too far.

‘You’re not fit to referee’ rang around the stadium but really it should have been Eastwood’s name being chanted.