Jones claims late derby point

The Trinidad and Tobago international struck eight minutes from time to convert substitute David Healy's cross after Afonso Alves had given Boro a 45th-minute lead.

Ricky Sbragia's men might even have snatched all three points, but Adam Johnson cleared fellow substitute Carlos Edwards' 87th-minute shot off the line.

Neither goalkeeper had been forced to make a save of any note as the clock ticked into the 45th minute of a game.

Stewart Downing, who this week had a transfer request rejected, injected some life into the game when he turned up on the right to collect Alves' pass and then returned the favour. The Brazilian's finish was emphatic and left goalkeeper Marton Fulop stranded, sending the home fans into raptures.

That brief cameo, however, was in stark contrast to much of what had gone before with the two sides largely cancelling each other out.

Boro enjoyed the better of the few chances that came the way of either team, Sunderland old boy Julio Arca firing just wide under pressure from Nyron Nosworthy on the half-hour, and Tuncay Sanli and Digard both going just over from distance.

At the other end, Djibril Cisse guided a weak 28th-minute header wide from Danny Collins' floated cross, but other than that, the visitors created little.

Second-half substitute Healy wasted little time in making his mark, after coming on in place of Kieran Richardson collecting Reid's 82nd-minute pass on the right and squaring for Jones to beat Chris Riggott and Tony McMahon to the ball and sidefoot past Ross Turnbull to snatch a point.

It might have been worse for Boro when Carlos Edwards got his head to Reid's late corner, but Adam Johnson was in the right place at the right time to rescue his side.