BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer was beaming with pride after his side snatched a last-gasp 1-1 draw in their top-six showdown at Middlesbrough yesterday to stretch their unbeaten run to nine matches.

But his opposite number, Aitor Karanka, cut an equal parts frustrated and sheepish figure after he was sent to the stands following Rovers top-scorer Rudy Gestede’s controversial 95th-minute equaliser.

Boro had opening the scoring in the 83rd minute after Patrick Bamford finally beat the outstanding Simon Eastwood with the aid of a deflection.

Bowyer, who lost captain Grant Hanley to a first-half ankle injury, said: “Proud is the word today. I’ve huge pride in the group.

“I thought we started the game the best we have done for a long time in the first half and Easty has made a couple of saves.

“We get to half-time and we felt that we’d kick on and go stronger but it didn’t quite happen.

“We stuck in there and we’ve seen the best save of the season from Easty in the second half, then we have a great chance to go 1-0 up with Rudy’s header. It was a fantastic move and cross and he should have scored.

 “So to then concede in the manner that we did with a deflection, the lads could quite easily have felt sorry for themselves.

“But what can you say? The mentality, the spirit, the character and the togetherness for each other is phenomenal. I’ve an enormous sense of pride.

“When they went 1-0 up we stuck at it and kept going. We hit the post straight away and it rolls along the line.

“We didn’t feel sorry for ourselves, we kept going, we chucked three up front, three big boys, put balls in the box and fortunately for us we got one at the end.

“It was no more than they deserved for their character, their resilience, their effort and the spirit that they shown.”

A furious Karanka felt his goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos had been fouled by Rovers substitute and first-team debutant Chris Brown before Gestede smashed in the most dramatic of levellers.

The former Real Madrid assistant manager raced over to confront the fourth official, leading Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg to give him his marching orders.

Afterwards Karanka, whose fifth-placed team could have gone top with victory, said: “It’s very frustrating.

“I would like to apologise because my behaviour was not good and Middlesbrough Football Club deserves better from me.

“But it was tough to take because we had worked so hard for 92, 93 minutes and what we had worked so hard for was almost in our grasp.

“I was sent to the stands for pushing the fourth official but I was arguing with him, not touching him.

“I thought the goal should have been disallowed for a foul on the keeper.”

Bowyer, who was full of praise for the inspirational 794 travelling Rovers supporters, said: “I only saw the equaliser in real time.

“There was some commotion about it in real time and I saw Boro weren’t happy about it but I wasn’t concentrating on their goalkeeper.

“I was concentrating on the ball going into the back of the net.”