Every word from Michael Beale following Sunderland's 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

Did you feel you got what you deserved in the end?

Yeah, it was a really good Championship game. I thought it was refreshing first-half. Both teams went for each other. We wanted to be positive coming here as the away team, we didn't want to come and play on the counter. We wanted to try and take the game to them. It's difficult because you have the two different styles come together. I thought in the first-half we had one really big opportunity and we worked the ball into good areas, into their box with Jack [Clarke], or with Trai Hume or with Abdoullah [Ba] and I'm expecting us to come away with something from those opportunities.

At half-time, it's more of the same really, staying in the game and trying to push your style onto them. It's fair to say that Middlesbrough started the second-half much better than us. We were slow. We've just spoken about it in there and it's not good enough for us to start the second-half like that. We concede off a set-play. It's lucky with the ricochet but it's happening too often to us now in important games, it's something we need to improve on.

But, I thought our reaction was fantastic and we go and score a goal. After that, with one or two moments we had, certainly with Clarke getting in down the left, that maybe we should do better again. Are people gambling enough in the final third to run through the goal because there's tap ins there for us. Ultimately, if you can win, it's a big point. How big? We wont's know for a few weeks yet.

It keeps you right in the play-offs?

Yeah and I think you could feel that in the stadium in the last ten minutes, they would have been a massive three points for either team. For us, as the away team, naturally we'll be more pleased than Middlesbrough going home this evening. I think we saw the good and the indifferent from our team today. There was moments in the game I was really pleased with.

The midfield battle was intriguing. When the going gets tough, our boys have to stay in it and I felt at the start of the second-half we weren't winning enough duels across the pitch. That was a big difference to the second-half. Then if you look at the last 20 minutes, all of a sudden we're winning the duels and our tails are up. That's the evolution of our team.

We have to make sure when we come away from home that we put in strong performances for 90 minutes, because it's so tight. You look at the results yesterday in the league and it's so tight. We've got a nice training week now into a really big home game then two away games. It's relentless this league which is why it's so exciting.

Rusyn's impact, I know the goalkeeper may feel he could've done a lot better with the goal but he brought a lot of energy at a time when you struggled?

Yeah, I think Mason last week and Rusyn coming on today, the work ethic of those two I can never fault. Do we get enough people close to them when we're crossing the ball for example? Trai I thought, first-half, put three or four good crosses in and we're not getting enough people close to Mason.

Those two scoring last week and this week, for their confidence, it's massive. For the team it's massive for the number nine to be scoring as well. I know the goalie would like to do better but there was a big chance first-half where their guy saves a certain goal on the line and we'd like to do better. Over the 90 minutes, I wouldn't want anyone saying the only reason we got a point is because their goalie might've done better on a shot. We more than deserved our point today.

Abdoullah will be frustrated but he's got a knack of getting in those positions?

Yeah, Jack was so unselfish wasn't he? Obviously from where we are pitch side you can't see it, but I'm thinking Jack might shoot and he lays one there for him. The thing is, Abdoullah played really well first-half. I felt him and Jack were two in the second-half not winning their duels.

I thought the full-backs got the better of them and they didn't help the team out defensively. We make a change. At this moment in time, Abdoullah Ba is showing at 20-years-old, that he's a huge asset to Sunderland. I'm pleased for him and his first-half performance, that moment aside, I thought was strong. I thought he caused Engel for them some problems.

Dan Ballard, I know it's early but how is he?

He's not a southern softie so it looks like he's alright. Don't come back to me if that's not the case! Just speaking to him in there, he just got knocked and landed awkward but he'll be fine this time next week.

Did you feel like you had more balance with Leo Hjelde in there?

Yeah, we probably didn't get him as high up the pitch as we would've liked delivering crosses, as we did with Trai, but we saw the benefits of Trai going back to right-back today, certainly in the first-half.

It's nice to have that balance and now, I thought Abdoullah played well again today, Clarkey has his moments, to have Paddy [Roberts] back and Romaine [Mundle] all of a sudden, going into a three game week we're going to need all those guys aren't we? Pleasing that Dan Ballard didn't come away with a booking so it means he's available next week. 

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Michael how do you judge Rusyn's development? You said it's been difficult for him with his family not being here.

They're here now so I've seen a difference in him. Naturally, you would if you're a father and living away, if you're living in different parts of the UK. Obviously where he's from there's a war going on as well and he's a long way away from his wife and child. They're here now which is fantastic for him on a personal level. All the time his English improves.

He'll have better connections with his teammates on the pitch, at the minute I think his energy, pressing and work ethic is great. It's just that connection that's missing. I also think he played most of his football, or 75 per cent of his football as a left-winger coming in or a left forward. I'm not saying he's not a number nine, I'm saying that he's more than that.

It was interesting today he gets his goal from pulling into a wide area which he likes. I've been really pleased with him and Mason as well. There's a lot said about recruitment, but my job coming in is to work with the players in front of me and I've been really pleased with those two since I've come to the club.