A young Boro side were praised despite going down 3-2 to Bishop Auckland in their opening pre-season game of the summer.
Fenton John scored both Boro goals in the second half as the youngsters almost recovered from a three-goal deficit.
The Boro squad included a number of Under-18s and U16 players, and U21s lead coach Mark Tinkler was pleased with their efforts.
"Bishops are a big strong side as you would expect, and I thought our young players did well," he said.
"It was a good experience for them and they will learn from it."