Round-Up: 'We shot ourselves in the foot,' complains Malky Mackay

Malky Mackay, the Cardiff City manager, believes his side were worth a draw in the 2-1 loss at Middlesbrough on Saturday, a defeat which led to their lead at the top of the Championship being trimmed to five points.

"I felt we probably deserved a point on the basis of that second-half performance," said Mackay, whose side have a game in hand over Hull City in second place.

"We shot ourselves in the foot a bit and we gave away two goals which we would normally never concede. We put in a spirited second half and we got one back and, to be honest, we had enough chances to have got the leveller," he added.

The Hull manager, Steve Bruce, was full of praise for home debutant George Boyd after his two goals helped the Tigers to a 5-2 win over Birmingham City. "If there has been a better home debut, I haven't seen one for a long time," said Bruce, who managed Birmingham between 2001 and 2007. "He was terrific from first to the last."

Boyd, who joined Hull on an emergency loan last month from struggling Peterborough United, scored his first goal within 60 seconds of his full debut.

"This kid oozes ability," said Bruce. "He can play with anybody. He's a clever footballer. He's made the difference today at an important time."

The Brighton manager, Gus Poyet, believes Leonardo Ulloa's form can power their play-off challenge at a vital stage of the season after the Argentine striker hit a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory over Huddersfield Town.

Ulloa has now scored five goals in seven games since signing for £2m from La Liga side Almeria during the January transfer window and Poyet felt Saturday's performance was a perfect illustration of his abilities.

"When you sign a player like Leo you want to show to people why you signed him," Poyet said. "We didn't have the kind of player he is, he has timing, jumping and power. Leo wanted to come here to help us achieve what we want to achieve.

"There is confidence building among the players and they don't want to lose this chance again," added the Uruguayan.