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Despite being nowhere near our best in a timid and tedious first half, Burnley had had much the better of proceedings after the break but, unable to get a second goal, conceded the winner after Leroy Lita's last dying swan show of the night.
It was my first ever visit to the Riverside. The last time we played an away game at Middlesbrough it was at Ayresome Park, and I was unable to go to that attractive FA Cup tie there against Darlington twelve years ago.
It's a typical modern stadium, one looking much like the other, with the old Ayresome Park gates outside alongside statues of former greats Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick. I also noticed the transporter bridge close by, yet I was sure I saw it dismantled and moved to an Indian reservation in America a few years ago.
One positive about the ground. It was cold and windy outside, but inside was still enough for the temperature to be considerably higher, and so the lack of a coat proved not to be a problem.
Brian Laws had hinted there would be changes, and I don't think it was too difficult to work out where they would come and who would come in. Tyrone Mears, back from suspension, returned at right back for David Edgar with Jack Cork and Chris Eagles in the starting line up at the expense of the two players they replaced on Saturday, Dean Marney and Martin Paterson.
The home side made changes too. We'd been told by some of their supporters before the game to beware having a Scottish manager who brings in players from Scottish clubs. They are not happy with some of those signings, in particular Kris Boyd, and the former Rangers striker found himself reduced to a subs role after failing to impress so far.
Now Middlesbrough is one of those awful places that believes music over the PA is what football fans want, you know, the stuff that kills atmosphere, and never was it more evident that before kick off when they made an announcement about Gary Parkinson. Home and away fans alike stood in applause, only to be drowned out by the return of the damn music.
Middlesbrough were very much the bookies' favourites pre-season, but a disappointing start has left them lacking in confidence. A good start by the Clarets could have seen them sink even further, but as we struggled to get a foothold in the game it was Middlesbrough who grabbed the early initiative.
Scott McDonald should probably have given them the lead, but he managed to miss target with a couple of efforts. An early goal could have been disastrous for us, but it didn't come, and as the half wore on then Burnley did get more and more into the game.
Our biggest problems seemed to be Julio Arca, the former Sunderland player who now plays at left back, and Leroy Lita. Their ability to go down when not touched has been developed into a fine art, and with a gullible official such as Jon Moss then it can prove to be crucial.
Even so, their theatricals, despite winning them rather dubious free kicks, were coming to nothing and it was the Clarets who almost went in front when central defender Andre Bikey hit the post with a header following a ball in from Ross Wallace.
Chris Eagles, in his first league start of the season, had been largely ineffective, but just a few minutes before half time came close as he cut in from the right, and only a good block kept him out.
As the half time whistle blew we were now the side very much in the ascendancy, and we looked more than capable of going on and winning this game.
You wouldn't have thought so in the first few minutes of the second half and we were so thankful to Brian Jensen who made an outstanding double save to keep us level. Boro's early impetus didn't last long and we were soon into our stride and ready to burst into our best spell of the game.
We got into so many good positions in wide areas. Eagles was leading Arca a merry dance and we really were threatening to take the game by the scruff of the neck. The final ball wasn't always as good as it could be but Middlesbrough looked like a side under pressure and when we won a corner twenty minutes in we finally got ourselves in front.
Graham Alexander took the corner on the left and it was met by Bikey who towered over the home defenders to power home a header, his first goal for the Clarets since the home win against Birmingham last October. It was met by the trademark double somersault in front of the Burnley fans with Eagles looking on in amusement.
A flurry of substitutions, that saw Steven Thompson come on for Burnley with Boyd and then Kink used by Strachan, made little difference and in all honesty the game seemed to be very much in our hands.
Then, eleven minutes from time, Kink latched onto a ball across from McDonald and hit an unerring shot into the bottom corner. Cue the awful music and the dancing fans whilst we looked on in disbelief.
They hadn't threatened and the only danger came from the falling Lita, who was to have the final word. It was a game we really should have gone on and won but it now looked as if we'd have to settle for a point.
Two or three minutes stoppage time I'd envisaged but the board went up showing four, and it was in that fourth minute that Lita finally made one of his falls count. Again Moss fell for it, as he'd done all night, the free kick stats saying much about his inability as anything else.
Barry Robson had taken every set piece for Middlesbrough but this time handed over to Kink who hit an exocet into the top corner. It didn't deviate at all but went with incredible pace as it flew in.
Moss must have realised by now how badly wrong he'd got it and for some reason gave us at least another three minutes to try and get an equaliser. We did win a corner but it was all in vain and when the final whistle went it was our second successive away defeat.
It wasn't a top performance by any means, but we'd done enough to get something from this game and the result was very much a cruel one.
We can still play a lot better, and there are some players still way below par right now, but others did well. I thought the two full backs both had good games, Eagles certainly had a wonderful purple patch during the second half, and despite a couple of his 'over casual' moments there was no doubt that Andre Bikey was once again in good form at the back.
I was amazed that Saturday's win didn't move us up the table, and I was equally amazed this defeat didn't drop us more than one place. We need to start getting points away from home. "When will we know we've got a good team?" Stan Ternent was once asked. "When we start winning away," came his reply.
We deserve more than one point from the first three away games, but that's all we've got, and we now need to start doing something about it.
The teams were;
Middlesbrough: Jason Steele, Justin Hoyte, Matthew Bates, Stephen McManus, Julio Arca, Barry Robson, Gary O'Neill (Tarmo Kink 75), Mickael Tavares, Andy Halliday (Kris Boyd 72), Scott McDonald, Leroy Lita. Subs not used: Danny Coyne, Tony McMahon, Seb Hines, Nicky Bailey, Richard Smallwood.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey, Danny Fox, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Jack Cork, Chris Eagles (Jay Rodriguez 87), Chris Iwelumo (Steven Thompson 68), Ross Wallace. Subs not used: Lee Grant, David Edgar, Leon Cort, Dean Marney, Martin Paterson.
Yellow Cards: Andre Bikey, Clarke Carlisle, Ross Wallace.
Referee: Jon Moss (West Yorkshire).
Attendance: 15,033.