Miller Back To Bite Boro

Middlesbrough    1        Blackpool    1

Ayala  19                                                         Miller  25

 

 

Ishmal Miller scored just four times at the Riverside when on loan at Boro two seasons ago; if only he’d had more nights like the one on Tuesday his career on Teesside may not have been so short lived.
 

The 27 year old striker returned to his old club as the pantomime villain and in the end it was no surprise when he popped up to score his first goal for new club Blackpool and deny Aitor Karanka’s side two valuable points in a 1-1 draw.

Boro had looked comfortable after taking the lead through Daniel Ayala’s 19th minute header, but after being pegged back six minutes later this suddenly appeared a game too far for a side who a week earlier were preparing for penalties at Anfield.



Ishmal Miller after his first ever Blackpool goal

Even so that was no excuse and Karanka had made five changes to the side which played out a 0-0 draw at Charlton on Saturday. At the back Ryan Fredericks, on loan from Tottenham, and Ben Gibson both returned while James Husband was handed his first league start for Boro at left back, as George Friend was rotated to the bench.

After being rested at The Valley captain Grant Leadbitter came back into the heart of midfield, Albert Adomah was sent off in that game and therefore suspended so Emmanuel Ledesma received his chance on the left of midfield.

Blackpool, the only side in the Championship without a win, were unfortunate not pick up any points at home to Norwich on Saturday, they made three changes from the team which started in that 3-1 defeat with Andrea Orlandi, Jeffrey Rentmeister and Edu Oriol replacing Francios Zoko, Nile Ranger and John Lundstram.

There was a first return to the Riverside for former Boro player and Blackpool captain Tony McMahon who received a warm reception from both sets of fans, his teammate Miller didn’t share the same ovation. Before the match Leadbitter was presented with Boro’s Ramsdems’ player of the month award, his goals against Huddersfield and Brentford will live long in the memory.

Karanka appeared to have reverted back to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation after making alterations in previous games. With Kike on the bench and Jelle Vossen currently nursing a hamstring problem, Patrick Bamford took on the role as the lone striker with Lee Tomlin playing just behind him.

The early signs were encouraging for the hosts and it didn’t take them long to test what looked like a susceptible Blackpool defence. Within in two minutes Ledesma had cut in from the left hand side before his shot stung the palms of Blackpool keeper Joe Lewis.

On Boro’s left Reach was giving McMahon nightmares on his return, however it was a set piece from which they finally took the lead on nineteen minutes. Leadbitter’s direct free kick was cleared out as far as Ledesma who headed back into the penalty area where the ball sat up nicely for Ayala who looped his header over Lewis.

After beating Brentford 4-0 in their last home game there was a belief that Boro could go on and grab goals 2 and 3, however on this occasion a 1-0 advantage was as good as it got. Seven minutes later Joan Oriol was provided too much space on the visitors left; his cross was one of high quality as he picked out Miller and the former Boro striker slid in from close range to level the score.

The situation didn’t improve for Karanka; moments later he lost Adam Clayton who had been suffering from illness before the game, after half an hour the Boro midfielder was withdrawn and replaced by Kike. That meant a change of system as the Boro manager switched back to the 4-1-2-1-2 he played at Charlton with Kike joining Bamford upfront and Tomlin playing as an advanced midfielder.

It was a change which clearly unsettled the team and at times they were fortunate to stay level. Blackpool went close when Orlandi’s shot from the edge of the area took a heavy deflection forcing Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos to tip over his cross bar. Seven minutes before half time the visitors came even closer when David Perkins found space on the edge of the area, his shot rattled back of the post.

After half time the emphasis was on Boro to attack, however the Blackpool side that reappeared from the tunnel suddenly looked a more organised and compact unit. The hosts dominated possession but rarely found the floating figures of Bamford, Kike or Tomlin who spent most of the game swamped by visiting white shirts.

After the loss of Clayton this was a side which now had a large imbalance to it, with Leadbitter seemingly battling on his own to keep hold of midfield. Another set piece appeared Boro’s best chance to retake the lead, but Bamford couldn’t turn in Leadbitter’s in swinging corner at the far post.

At the other end Blackpool were finding gaps on the break but fortunately for Boro Miller couldn’t add a second when his header 18 minutes from time was off target. That was followed last ditch challenge from Fredericks, who regularly spared Boro’s blushes, then an Edu Oriol volley which forced Konstantopulos to make a firm save.

For the most part Boro looked tried and out of ideas, but it took until the 74^th minute for Karanka to make his second change, introducing Emilo Nsue in place of Ledesma. The Spanish winger nearly made an immediate impact with a few promising runs down the right but Blackpool stood firm.

Boro came closest to a winner when Kike flicked on a Leadbitter corner but Lewis held comfortably, moments earlier Tomlin’s deflected shot had also forced the keeper in to action, but nothing too taxing. In the end this was a case of two points dropped for a Boro side with higher ambitions than their opposition, they’ll get another crack at it on Saturday when they host Fulham before another international break.   

Player Ratings 

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Wasn’t overly worked but made some important saves when called upon

Ryan Fredericks   7.5- Defended well, added energy and extra dimension going forward

Ben Gibson   6.5- Wasn’t posed too many questions in defence as Boro dominated possession

Daniel Ayala   7- Opened the scoring and won a majority of headers when defending

James Husband   6- Solid defensively but struggled to produce in advanced areas 

Adam Clayton   5- Replaced after half an hour due to illness

Grant Leadbitter   7- Battled hard after losing midfield partner, Clayton, and lacked support

Emmanual Ledesma   5.5- Looked a threat early on but lack defensive discipline was exposed

Adam Reach   6- Started well but struggled as Blackpool doubled up on him after half time

Lee Tomlin   5- Ineffective for most of the game and committed too many fouls

Patrick Bamford   5.5- Looked lost up front on his own, lacked service for most of the night

Subs

Kike   6- Spent most of the night surrounded by Blackpool defenders after coming on in the first half

Emilo Nsue   6- Made some threating runs after coming on for the last 15 minutes

My Boro Man Of The Match: Ryan Fredericks