Charlie Mulgrew felt Rovers should have made more of their man advantage as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Middlesbrough.

Things were looking up for Rovers from the moment the skipper curled them in to a 22nd minute with a fine free kick for his fifth of the season.

Mo Besic was sent off for a straight red card which led to the free kick from which Mulgrew scored, but Rovers didn’t make the most of their extra man as they left with only a point.

Substitute Britt Assombalonga curled in a superb equaliser just after the hour mark to earn the hosts a point, leaving Rovers disappointed coming away with a point against the leagues fourth placed team.

“I think we had a lot of the ball and could have done more with it at times,” Mulgrew said.

“They went down to 10 men and we scored at a good time.

“We are disappointed not to win the game, but that’s possibly a good sign (against a team like Middlesbrough).”

Rovers failed to find a second goal which may well have proved crucial, with Corry Evans and Danny Graham both having chances before Bradley Dack hit the post moments before Assombalonga’s equaliser.

They tried to turn up the pressure in the latter stages, but had to settle for just the one goal, and point.

And Mulgrew said: “A second goal would have been a good stepping stone towards a victory.

“We are disappointed we didn’t take the chances we had or kept the ball a bit better.

“It’s a point at Middlesbrough and we move forward.”

It was a fifth goal of the season for Mulgrew for Rovers, as well as netting a penalty for Scotland in October.

Four of those had come from the penalty spot, as well as scoring from a corner against Bristol City in September, but he netted a first trademark free kick of the campaign from 25 yards.

On his free kick, Mulgrew added: “I fancied that area.

“I have been practicing, visualising, and was glad to see that go in.

“It was a massive wall but I knew there was space on the outside of it and Corry (Evans) went in to the wall and I knew that if I could get it round his curls then I knew it had a chance.”

Rovers had conceded nine goals in their previous three games, including seven in away defeats at Preston and Wigan.

Assombalonga scored an excellent equaliser, with Mulgrew admitting there was little they could have done to prevent it.

“There’s some goals you can’t do anything about, like Joao’s goal for Sheffield Wednesday and the same for this one,” he said.

“That’s the step up to the Championship, the quality of players you’re playing against.”

Besic saw red for pulling back Dack after the Rovers attacker robbed him of possession which would have put him clean through were it not for a shirt pull.

Boro boss Tony Pulis was unhappy with the decision which only came after consultation between referee Scott Duncan and his assistant.

But Mulgrew said: “It was a subtle pull on his shirt, but enough for him not to get the ball.

“It was 100 per cent a red card and I’m glad the referee, who was good, took his time and gave the right decision.

“He showed a Premier League standard.

“I said to him after the game that I thought he did well, he showed real common sense and it was very well done.”