George Friend scored in injury time of the first half to ensure that Middlesbrough and Wigan Athletic went into the break all square in their Championship encounter this afternoon.

The hosts took the lead after 17 minutes when Friend fouled Marc-Antoine Fortune inside the box, allowing Grant Holt to step up and break the deadlock from the penalty spot.

Middlesbrough almost found an equaliser just after the half-hour mark when Lukas Jutkiewicz resisted the attentions of Chris McCann before firing an effort goalwards that Scott Carson had to tip wide.

Carson was called upon again shortly afterwards, saving a Mustapha Carayol effort from a tight angle with his legs.

The hosts had a chance to extend their lead five minutes before the break when Jean Beausejour's free kick was met by Leon Barnett, but the defender couldn't steer his header on target.

The visitors levelled the sides just before half time when Friend scored his first Middlesbrough goal with virtually the last kick of the match.