Russell Slade has promised Cardiff City will get back on their feet in the Championship promotion race after being sent sprawling by a resurgent Middlesbrough.

The City manager admitted his team’s 3-1 defeat at the Riverside Stadium felt like being tripped up just as they had appeared to be making progress towards the top six.

Boro had not won in five games but they came from a goal behind to end the Bluebirds’ six-match unbeaten run.

“We were all small at one stage and learning to walk and we fell over 50 times, but that didn’t stop us getting back up. That’s what we have to do,” said Slade.

“We’ve got to dust ourselves down. We’ve got to get back to winning ways. As tough as it was here, it was an opportunity to win games back-to-back and now we’ve got to start again.”

Despite taking the lead through Fabio Da Silva, Cardiff conceded quickly when Matthew Connolly turned Gaston Ramirez’s header into his own goal.

Ramirez then put Boro into a 2-1 lead, before Grant Leadbitter was denied by a penalty save from David Marshall.

But Boro’s David Nugent sealed the win shortly afterwards when he fired home from close range after being set-up by Albert Adomah.

Slade added: “It was a fantastic goal from Fabio, a wonder goal, to get us in front. But we almost conspired to help them even before they equalised, to give them a lift and get back in the game.

“Scott Malone has given the ball away on the halfway line and you can’t afford to do that against teams of this calibre away from home.

“That happened for the third goal – we gave it away. You can’t do that, you have to make the right decisions and choices.

“The defence really was not at its best. They’ve set a really good standard. We’ve had a bit of momentum with us over the last few weeks, they did not really set the standards they set themselves. They will be disappointed with that.

“Although I still thought we had good periods. We started the second half well and we had a chance at 2-1 down, but we did not take it.

“We did cause them a problem from time to time. We looked like a good side at times, but we did not have enough here.”

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka said: “Now, we are good again. It was really important for the mentality of the players. Not for me, because I was calm. I know the players and know how good we are, but for them, I think it is important to have won again.

“Hopefully, now we can start a good run again. I was really pleased with them.

“It was difficult, and we conceded a goal even though it wasn’t really a chance for them. After that, though, the players had a really good reaction.”

The defeat means Cardiff are now five points off the play-offs once more and have slipped to eighth in the table.

Slade’s team now host Preston on Saturday, who beat Charlton 2-1 last night and are now only a point behind Cardiff.