Birmingham City boss Pep Clotet felt the team were unfortunate that a late goal against Middlesbrough was controversially ruled out by the referee in the 1-1 draw.

Blues thought they had scored what probably would have been a late winner when Lukas Jutkiewicz bundled home from close range following a quick break away but referee Andy Woolmer had blown his whistle as they advanced as the Boro physios had ran on the pitch despite not being called on.

The visitors were understandably furious and there were clashes between the backroom staff from both sides which resulted in a red card apiece.

And, Clotet couldn't hide his frustration when speaking to the club's official site.

"The goal is a goal for sure. I understand that the referee blows before and has the right to stop the game whenever he feels. We kept playing, they kept playing and what I understand is the way that some staff on the bench of Middlesbrough stormed the pitch as soon as we had the counter attack, with a view to stop the play.

"We all need to love the game a little bit more and make sure we represent the best values of the game - because that was a clear goal."

QUIZ: Can you name these 14 ex-Birmingham City defenders?

The verdict

It was a hugely controversial game last night and Blues' anger is justified because the referee appeared to see the incident at the time and obviously felt Marcus Tavernier wasn't as bad as he made out.

He should either stop the game immediately or let it carry on and he did the latter initially with Blues scoring what was a fair goal as no players stopped from either side.

That would have been a massive three points for Blues as they look to address a concerning run of form and Clotet will feel as everything is against him right now.

There's no time to dwell on it though, instead they have to focus on the weekend FA Cup clash against Coventry.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.