Middlesbrough's Marcus Browne hit out at the 'shambolic' decision not to award Neil Warnock's side a penalty in the 1-0 defeat to Blackburn today.

The attacking midfielder suffered a serious knee injury earlier this month, which is set to keep him out for a lengthy period, so he was watching on TV like all Boro fans.

And, like the vast majority, he was mystified that his team weren't awarded a penalty in the first-half when Jarrad Branthwaite kicked Dael Fry in the face.

"Shambolic! How’s that not a pen! Geezer lifts his leg any higher he won’t have a hamstring anymore," Browne tweeted out.

The incident left Fry with a facial injury that caused him to go off, and you could make a strong case to say that Branthwaite should have seen a red card for dangerous play.

It would prove to be costly for Warnock, as Joe Rothwell would go on to score the only goal of the game, with Boro failing to close the gap on the top six in the chase for promotion.

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The verdict

You have to have huge sympathy for Boro here as it was a clear penalty. There was no intent to injure Fry from Branthwaite, but the fact is his foot caught the Boro man in the face.

So, Browne's tweet is completely justified, and questions will be asked of the official as to how he missed such a clear foul.

The fact that Boro went on to lose the game means this will hurt even more, and there will obviously be concern over Fry, who has hopefully avoided a serious injury.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.