Charlton were dragged into the Championship's bottom three for the first time this season as they lost 1-0 to relegation rivals Middlesbrough.

Paddy McNair's goal on 17 minutes proved decisive as the Addicks were yet again undone by a defensive mistake.

Ben Purrington's pass was picked off by Rudy Gestede, who then teed up McNair inside the Charlton box for a simple finish.

Charlton, who have won just two of their past six games, are now 22nd in the league table and two points adrift from safety.

Here are five things we learned...

An error of their own making

Purrington will take no pleasure in watching back Middlesbrough's goal, one he will struggle to live down for a while.

Unlike last week at Huddersfield Town, where George Lapslie put Deji Oshilaja under unnecessary pressure inside his own box, this one was simply poor concentration.

The left back had only just come back into the team after missing the last four, and that will do little to help him retain his place.

Did the nerves get to Charlton in the first half?

Given what was at stake, The Valley was up on its feet and the fans made sure they were right behind the players in a bid to claim all three points.

But it seemed to get to some of the players in the first half, a few of whom appeared nervous and fearful of expressing themselves in case they made a mistake.

The run-in suggests the atmosphere will remain like that in the final five home games but it gives Bowyer something to think about in his team selections going forward.

Why are Charlton making it so hard for themselves?

The mistake aside, had Charlton enjoyed longer spells where they really put Boro under pressure then perhaps they would not have made it so hard for themselves.

Although this is not new, as Charlton have had a tendency to come back from behind to win under Lee Bowyer, it is not something they can rely on when the consequence is relegation.

When the goals are effectively giveaways to the opposition, they have no one to blame but themselves. It's now a case of stopping it from repeatedly happening.

Tactical change?

There have been a few grumbles about Lee Bowyer's much-favoured 4-4-2 diamond system, with some fans suggesting it's time to ditch it in favour of an alternative setup.

You could see against Boro that Charlton lined up in a 4-3-3 to begin with before reverting back to a 4-4-2 diamond, and something else in search of the equaliser late on.

The question now is: stick or twist? Go back to basics or try something new? Bowyer is not averse to finding different solutions but he has to get it right if Charlton are to climb out of the drop zone.

Riding the bench

All three of Charlton's loan signings were on the bench for Boro defeat, with none of Aiden McGeady, David Davis nor Matt Smith coming on as a substitute.

There will likely be times where all three of them will play a part in the run-in, but how much of it remains to be seen.

Smith, a 20-year-old midfielder on loan from Manchester City, has played just 62 minutes of football so far and will perhaps benefit most for arguing to play more than he already has.