Middlesborough old boy Jacob Butterfield bemoaned Town’s last-gasp defeat against former club Middlesbrough and admitted: “It’s tough to take.”

The midfielder added: “A poor mistake (Tommy Smith’s needless foul on Adam Reach for a stoppage-time penalty) has cost us again.

“We conceded right at the end at home to Charlton and poor defending cost us points at Watford.

“It’s sickening, and we have to learn to shut games out, because we should have had a point from this one.”

The 24-year-old, making his sixth appearance since transferring to Teesside as Adam Clayton went the other way, added: “There are positives to take.

“We showed a bit of fight and character to get back into it when we weren’t playing as well as we can do.

“I thought the first half was fairly even. Their goal came out of the blue really, and it gave them some momentum.

“But like I say, we hung in and got the equaliser.

“We should have shown a bit of nous and stayed switched on.”

Town haven’t won any of their last 10 home games ahead of Wigan Athletic’s midweek visit.

But Butterfield insisted: “We can’t let that affect us.

“Late goals have influenced both the home league matches since I’ve been here and we have a quick chance to put things right against Wigan.

“They will provide another tough test for us, and that underlines the need to take a point, or points, when you have them in your hand.

“They don’t come easily, so it’s very frustrating to throw them away.”

New manager Chris Powell played Butterfield wide in a four-man midfield, and he said: “I did some work on that role in training.

“The idea was for me to drift in and try to cause them a few problems, but in the first half, I didn’t get on the ball enough.

“Things improved in the second half, and it’s a role I’d be happy to play again.”

Wigan’s 3-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers means they have lost six away games on the spin.