Honours Even

Middlesbrough    1        Watford    1

   Kike  49                                                      Deeney  60

 

 

There are two ways Aitor Karanka could view Middlesbrough’s 1-1 draw against Watford, but whether the Spaniard decides to praise the team who were good value for their 1-0 lead, or criticize the side that surrendered it will be an interesting dilemma.     

After taking a deserved lead through Kike’s finish minutes after half time, Boro could count themselves fortunate to escape with a point after substitute Troy Deeney levelled the score. That was followed by a frantic few minutes in which the visitors hit the post and forced Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos to make a fingertip save.  



Troy Deeney rescues a point for Watford  

Nonetheless in the overall assessment both managers should see this as a valuable point gained in what is shaping up to be a tight Championship season. Watford remain second only behind leaders Derby on goal difference, Boro may have slipped from third to fifth however they still sit just two points away from the top spot.

Karanka made four changes from the Boro side which lost 2-0 at Wolves in mid-week, captain Grant Leadbitter was suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season so Adam Clayton took his place in midfield. Elsewhere Kike, Lee Tomlin and Ben Gibson all returned as Jelle Vossen, Adam Reach and Kenneth Omeruo dropped to the bench.

Watford were forced to make a change minutes before kick off after goalkeeper  Heurelho Gomes was injured in the warm up, Jonathan Bond was his replacement. The visitors only other change from their 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest last time out saw Almen Abdi make way for Ikechi Anya.

In the opening exchanges it took Boro a while to adjust to the visitor’s flexible system which appeared to flicker from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2, there were even signs of the traditional 4-4-2, with minimum fuss.

However it wasn’t long before Boro found their rhythm and began to pick holes in the visitors’ formation, not least down the left hand side where George Friend was finding acres of space and being allowed to cross in dangerous areas.

The visitors came close when Dániel Tozser’s low shot was deflected wide, however that aside it was Boro who were creating the majority of chances, with Patrick Bamford and Albert Adomah having shots blocked before Friend’s low drive was turned goal bound by Kike forcing Bond into an instinctive save.

Friend continued to be Boro’s main outlet on the left and regularly had the beating of Watford full back Juan Carlos Paredes, with half an hour gone the Boro man flashed a low cross along the penalty area but it lacked a finishing touch, moments later his cross was met by Kike who headed over.

Watford didn’t threaten again until the 33^rd minute when Matej Vydra weaved his way into a shooting position and struck a low effort which required Konstantopulos to react quickly and turn it round the post.

After the break Boro appeared to pick up where they left off and continued to find joy in wide areas. This time it was the other full back Ryan Fredericks whose shot was just off target after some clever play on the edge of the visitors’ box.

Nevertheless Boro went ahead on 49 minutes. Fredericks was again involved cutting inside to find Adam Clayton, who then released Bamford in the left hand side of the Watford penalty area, finally he squared the ball to Kike and the Spanish striker made no mistake in tucking the ball home from close range.

One could have quickly become two when Bamford’s good work left him through on goal however his shot was straight at Bond. Minutes later the hosts were nearly made to pay when a ball into their own penalty was only half cleared, however on the rebound Vydra’s shot sailed over the bar.

Despite that let off Boro appeared to have lost confidence and were gradually being forced back towards their own goal. With an hour gone they paid the price when Anya picked up possession in a dangerous position on the left, his cut back found substitute Deeney who dispatched the chance first time.

Six minutes later Keith Andrews, another Watford sub, had a shot blocked for a corner, two minutes after that centre back Joel Ekstrand flicked a header onto Konstantopulos’ far post as Boro hung on.

Karanka introduced Reach and Vossen late on but neither side could snatch a winner, Fredericks’ cross picked out Kike who failed to hit the target before an ambitious volley from Tomlin was deflected wide. At the other end Tozser’s low free kick had to be pushed wide by the fingertips of Konstantopulos. In the end a draw was probably a fair result.  

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Could do little about the goal and made some important saves when required

George Friend   8- Got forward to good effect in the first half and was Boro’s main outlet

Ben Gibson   6- At times a little indecisive when clearing the ball

Daniel Ayala   6.5- Has become Boro’s first choice centre half and living up to it

Ryan Fredericks   7.5- Found more space in the second half and exploited it well

Dean Whitehead   6.5- Shielded the back four, dropped a little deep after Boro’s goal

Adam Clayton   6.5- Battled hard in congested midfield, played a few probing passes   

Albert Adomah   6- Didn’t have a major impact on the game, had to spend most of time helping in the middle of midfield   

Patrick Bamford   6.5- Made a few intelligent runs and set up the goal

Lee Tomlin   6.5- Dropped deep on a number of occasions and played some decent balls forward

Kike   6.5- Took chance for the goal but passed up a few opportunities

Subs

Adam Reach   6.5- Provided extra energy with 18 minutes to go

Jelle Vossen – Only on for the last 8 minutes not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match : George Friend

Six Unbeaten

Middlesbrough    2        Fulham    0

                                    Reach  46    Adomah  82

 

 

Adam Reach and Albert Adomah cost Middlesbrough twelve times less than what Fulham paid for summer signing Ross McCormack, but on this occasion money didn’t buy success.



Boro’s 2-0 victory at the Riverside on Saturday may not have been as easy or straight forward as the score line suggests, however it does conclude that Aitor Karanka’s Boro will occupy a place in the top six going into next week’s international break.

Adam Reach Puts Boro Ahead After Half Time



Second half goals from Reach, a graduate from Boro’s youth academy, and Adomah a £1 million signing from Bristol City last year, proved the difference in a hard-fought Championship win over manager-less Fulham, who remain in the bottom three following a disappointing start.

The visitors were dangerous, nothing that you wouldn’t expect from a side relegated from the Premier League last year and at times Boro rode their luck a little. Yet at the back Fulham looked a little soft centred, going forward the Boro’s defence always seemed to have them in check.  

Karanka opted to make four changes following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Blackpool with George Friend and Kenneth Omeruo returning to the back four in place of Ben Gibson and James Husband. Adomah was back from a suspension and replaced Emmanuel Ledesma while Kike was prepared as the lone striker over Jelle Vossen who started on the bench and Patrick Bamford who didn’t.

Fulham had made a slow start to the new season but came into this match off the back of two wins in a row. They were unchanged from the side which thrashed Bolton 4-0 in mid-week, with £12 million striker Ross McCormack leading the line alongside Hugo Rodallega, Scott Parker and Bryan Ruiz were also included .

It was the hosts who carved out the first real chance of note. Spanish striker Kike started the move when he fed the ball out to Ryan Fredericks on the right, his following cross picked out Adomah inside the penalty area who flicked the ball onto the inside post with Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli well beaten.

For the remainder of the first half the majority of Boro’s attacks came down the opposite side through Reach and George Friend. With 20 minutes gone Reach beat his full back before squaring the ball to Kike in the box, his shot was on target however a deflection off a Fulham defender took any sort of sting out of it.

Despite Boro’s chances it was the visitors who were dominating possession, with Karakna’s side spending large periods camped in their own half. At times it was frustrating for the home supporters that their side weren’t imposing themselves on the game, nevertheless Fulham weren’t creating many clear cut chances and emotions stayed in check.

Fulham’s best chance came when McCormack dinked a ball through to Rodallega, but Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos was quick off his line to collect the loose ball. The host’s continued to create a few chances on the break; the most memorable when Reach’s cross evaded Kike ten minutes before half time, though in truth it was a half with few opportunities and was a match which could only improve as a spectacle.

45 seconds after half time it did. For the first time in the match Boro put pressure on the Fulham defence and in the blink of an eye it cracked. Direct from the kick-off the hosts quickly found Adomah on the right hand side, his cross was met by a weak attempt at an overhead kick from Lee Tomlin; however the ball fell nicely for Reach who reacted quickest to poke the ball home.

A second nearly followed for the Boro winger when his header, from another Adomah cross, rebounded off the far post, his first goal hadn’t even been announced on the tannoy.

A second goal would have been a welcome buffer for Boro fans and with half an hour to go it soon became a real backs against the wall job. With 60 minutes gone Fulham defender Tim Hoogland hit the cross bar from a corner, five minutes later Rodallega squandered a glorious opening firing a volley into the stands when he was through on goal.

Karanka did his best to try and weather the storm with Vossen replacing Tomlin however the chances continued to fall the visitor’s way. With 18 minutes to go the Boro penalty area went on red alert due to chaotic goal mouth scramble. The ball finally fell to Lasse Christensen whose shot required a spectacular goal line clearance from Daniel Ayala to maintain Boro’s advantage.

The visitors went close again when McCormack’s free kick demanded a virtuous save from Konstantopulos. The anxious finish was spared eight minutes from time when Vossen released Adomah on the counter attack, after a well worked one- two deep inside the Fulham half the Ghanaian international finish the move and in many ways the match with a neat finish.

Vossen was unlucky not to mark the day with his first Boro goal, his closest effort being a late header which was cleared off the line. However in the bigger picture this was a strong result for Karanka’s side against a team slowly growing in confidence. The international break provides another chance to regroup before they go again at Brighton in a fortnight’s time.

Player Ratings    

Dimi Konstantopulos   7.5- Made some important saves a key moments, never lacking confidence

Ryan Fredericks   7.5- Another tidy game at right back defensively very sound

Daniel Ayala   8.5- Literally put his body on the line, won headers and gave an all-round good performance

Kenneth Omeruo   7.5- Gave McCormack and Rodallega very little

George Friend   7.5- Slotted nicely back into the side, got forward at times but most of his work was defensive

Grant Leadbitter (C)   7.5- Did a lot of the dirty work in midfield which sometimes goes unnoticed

Adam Clayton   7- Played some decent passes across midfield, imposed himself more in the second half

Albert Adomah   8- Great going forward, questions defensively but in the end proved the match winner

Adam Reach   8.5- Crossing was a threat, appeared regularly in the box and added a goal to his name

Lee Tomlin   6- Struggled to hold the ball up run at the Fulham back line

Kike   7.5- Link up play improved and produced clear play to set up the second goal

Subs

Jelle Vossen   6.5- Unlucky not to score on numerous occasions

Dean Whitehead - Came on with 7 minutes to go not enough time to give a fair rating   

Emilo Nsue- Came on in stoppage time not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match : Daniel Ayala

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