Bitter Taste For Boro

Middlesbrough    1        Blackburn    1

Bamford  82                                                          Gestede  90+5 

 

 

 

It’s no secret that refereeing decisions can change games, make seasons or ruin promotion campaigns, the fact of the matter is if you’re good enough the odd bad call here or there shouldn’t make a difference. Aitor Karanka will hope that is the case.



Gestede converts a Blackburn equaliser

The two points his Boro side dropped on Saturday afternoon at home to Blackburn were far from fatal to their promotion aspirations, nevertheless too many and a position in the top two could slowly drift away.

Denied a late penalty last week at Wigan, undone seven days later by a Blackburn equaliser which looked more like a karate move than a Championship football match, all that was missing was the black belt to go with it. No wonder Karanka’s calm demeanour was briefly unrecognisable.  


The Boro manager was sent to the stands by referee Mark Clattenburg following Rude Gestede’s stoppage time goal, which left Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos in a heap and Boro without a win in three league games.

The hosts looked to be heading for three hard earned points when Patrick Bamford’s strike eight minutes from time finally broke the band of Blackburn resistance; it wasn’t until the dying seconds of the game when the wheels fell off.

With a last gasp corner the visitors packed the Boro box where Konstantopulos appeared to be clobbered by Blackburn substitute Chris Brown. No foul given, Gestede fired home and with emotions running high things boiled out of hand, in the dugout and in the crowd.

“I want to apologise for my behaviour,” said Karanka. “I was very frustrated, and I will fight for this club until the last seconds, but I want to apologise.

“You can imagine my frustration because no one saw the foul. I was asked immediately afterwards if I had seen it and I said I didn’t need to. My keeper was on the treatment table to so I didn’t need to see it. He took a kick on the hip.

“My players had been fighting for 94 minutes and we had the three points in our hands – then they were taken from our hands by other people”.

Anyone who has followed Karanka over his past year will know he’s not one for excuses or hammering referees, he will only comment if he feels there is a strong case.

Like at Wigan last week there probably was.  However you can’t help feeling these referring decisions have allowed people to paper over the cracks. Boro were poor at the DW stadium last weekend, and didn’t exactly burst out of the blocks against Blackburn or take their chance to box the ball in the corner and run the clock down.

For a team currently in the top six and two points off the top, they still appear to lack the confidence to really get at teams from the off. Nevertheless in Boro’s defence they were the better team in this one and could easily have had four or five if it wasn’t for Blackburn keeper  Simon Eastwood whose second half heroics kept the visitors afloat.

Karanka made five changes from the side which started at Wigan a week ago, Adam Clayton was suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card so Dean Whitehead came into midfield.

Elsewhere Ryan Fredericks and Kenneth Omeruo returned in defence replacing Emilo Nsue and Ben Gibson. Bamford’s goal at the DW stadium earned him a start on the left, while Jelle Vossen replaced Kike upfront, the Spanish striker dropped to the bench alongside Adam Reach.

Blackburn boss Gary Bower made two changes from the team which started Rovers victory at Leeds. Jason Steele on loan from Boro was ineligible to play so Eastwood received his chance. Tom Cairney was sent off in that game so Ryan Tunnicliffe replaced him.

Before the game the crowd of over 18,000 welcomed back Boro legend Juninho, his intervention would have been more than welcome in a bog-standard first half.

Rovers’ strike force contained the potent duo of Gestede and Jordan Rhodes and the pair looked a potential handful in the early exchanges. Nevertheless it was the hosts who came closest to breaking the deadlock, Grant Leadbitter had long range efforts saved by Eastwood, minutes later Bamford tied his luck and Vossen was inches away from turning the rebound home.

Vossen, who is yet to resister for Boro, must currently feel like a man who can’t even buy a goal. He had two more efforts saved by Eastwood before the break as Boro began to assert themselves. Before the interval Daniel Ayala glanced over a Leadbittrer corner before Bamford tested the Blackburn keeper once again.    

The only negative for the hosts came in the shape of an injury to Fredericks who was forced off minutes before the interval, as predicted Nsue took his place. Despite a bright start Rovers had created very little in front of goal, Rhodes’ attempted overhead kick was comfortably saved by Konstantopulos, that aside they rarely threatened.

After the restart Boro quickly flicked through the gears. Five minutes after half time Tomlin found Bamford inside the area whose low effort forced Eastwood back into action, that however had nothing on the save moments later when Friend hit an inviting first time cross from the left.  In the middle Vossen looked poised to score and hit the target with a close range header, somehow Eastwood kept it out.

In a more open second half Blackburn also threatened to open the scoring, Ben Marshall forced a full stretch fingertip save from Konstantoplos to his left before Gestede’s header required a more comfortable save.  

Eastwood continued to have the match of his life, his next act a low save with his feet to deny Nsue who connected well with a right foot volley. Tomlin was next to try his luck from range but again the keeper matched the effort.

With seventeen minutes to go Karanka introduced Kike in place of Vossen, on the other side of the dugout Bower brought on Craig Conway for Rhodes.

With eight minutes left Eastwood was finally beaten, Rovers failed to fully clear a cross into the box and on the edge of the area the ball fell to Bamford who lashed the ball goal bound, a deflection off a Blackburn defender made sure the ball found its way in.

Cue euphoria, three points and Boro would be joint top. As it finished they ended up fifth. With the last kick of the game a Blackburn corner caused havoc, appeals for a foul were turned down and an equaliser followed. Referee Clattenburg was booed off the pitch but the decision wasn’t going to change.

Player Ratings  

Dimi Konstantopulos   6.5- Had little to do before the goal, unfortunate not to get foul

George Friend   6.5- Provided width on the left  

Daniel Ayala   7.5- Prepared to put his head where it hurts and came off with some bruises for it

Kenneth Omeruo   7.5- Returned to the team with little fuss

Ryan Fredericks   6- Replaced before half time due to injury

Dean Whitehead   7- Kept it simple rarely gave the ball away

Grant Leadbitter   7-Thretened a few times from corners

Albert Adomah   5.5- Looked lost and out of position for most of the afternoon

Patrick Bamford   8- Cut inside well from the right and was Boro’s main threat

Lee Tomlin   7- Dropped deep and played some creative passes  

Jelle Vossen   6.5- Can’t buy a goal at the minute, his potential and hunger showed though. Unlucky

Subs

Emilo Nsue   6.5- Got forward from right back well, crossing was dangerous

Kike   5.5- Came on for the last 17 minutes and work rate appeared to be lacking

Ben Gibson- Came on for the last 4 minutes can’t give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: Patrick Bamford