Prolific Boro Hit Four Past Ipswich

Middlesbrough    4         Ipswich    1

                                     Ayala  4  Adomah  30                                           Murphy  10

                                       Bamford  64 ,79

Earlier this week Middlesbrough fans were fuelled with excitement when their club was linked with a possible loan deal for Blackburn forward Jordan Rhodes, this afternoon it was another loan striker who stole the limelight as Patrick Bamford showed why Boro’s attack is in no desperate need of recruitment.



Albert Adomah celebrates putting Boro ahead

Bamford scored twice as his side crushed promotion rivals Ipswich by 4 goals to 1 at the Riverside Stadium moving them briefly back to the top of the Championship in the day’s early kick-off. Perhaps even more significantly they are now eight points clear of Ipswich in 7^th and have built a healthy buffer inside the play-off places with nine games to go.

The run to the finish is far from straight forward though, Boro now travel to fellow high flyers Derby on Tuesday night before a clash with Bournemouth next Saturday in a seven day spell which many labelled the week of destiny.

When asked further about Rhodes after the match Boro manager Aitor Karanka responded by saying “I don’t want to speak about speculation” It may just turn out to be a rumour, but with Bamford in this sort of form Rhodes may be better off staying put.

After only scoring once in his last five games, Bamford stole the show with an accomplished second half display. Following first half goals from Daniel Ayala and Albert Adomah, the England under 21 star secured the game with two composed finishes, supporting the claims that he should receive his chance in the Premier League.

Nevertheless this victory wasn’t just about Bamford’s youth and exuberance. At the other end of the pitch Jonathan Woodgate, still going strong at 35, never put a foot wrong after replacing the injured Ayala on 24 minutes. Adomah was a constant threat and looks close to rediscovering his form from last season, while in midfield Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton improved as the game progressed.

For Ipswich and manager Mick McCarthy this was a major blow to their dwindling promotion hopes, they arguably looked the better side when the Championship’s top scorer Daryl Murphy drew them level after 10 minutes however when they fell behind they gradually ran out of steam.

Karanka made three changes from the side which lost at Nottingham Forest last weekend, deploying an evident change of system in the process. 4-2-3-1 was altered to 4-4-2 as Jelle Vossen replaced Kike to join Bamford in attack, Adam Reach returned on the left as Lee Tomlin was left on the bench.

Ayala’s return meant he started alongside Ben Gibson at the back, with Tomas Kalas moving to right back after Ryan Fredericks’ injury at Nottingham Forest made him unavailable. McCarthy made one change from Town’s 1-1 draw with Brentford as Teddy Bishop replaced Richard Chaplow.

Within four minutes the visitors were behind. A short Boro corner from Leadbitter to Clayton was swung into the Ipswich box where Ayala connected with a firm header which thundered into the net. The impact did have an effect on Town goalkeeper Dean Gerken who had been clattered to the ground in the mix up, after a lengthy delay he left the field on a stretcher, to applause from both sets of fans, and was replaced by Bartosz Bialkowski.

However Ipswich’s pain was short lived and when the game continued they immediately equalised. Jonathan Parr was allowed too much space to turn and thump a powerful shot from the right which Boro keeper Dimi Konstantoplos parried in front of him, the ball soon spun away to Murphy who couldn’t miss from close range.

For a good quarter of an hour the visitors had momentum and came close to taking the lead when Jay Tabb squared the ball to Murphy from the left hand side and Boro were let off the hook when the striker’s deflected shot rebounded off the post.

Boro’s back line could have been unsettled further when goal scorer Ayala limped off after 24 minutes and was replaced by Woodgate, but instead of hindering the hosts it appeared to add an element of composure to their game and after the half hour mark they took the lead.

An almost identical corner to the one which led to Boro’s opener was played out as Leadbitter passed to Clayton; the initial low cross was cleared but only as far as Adomah on the edge of the Ipswich box and the Ghanaian international lashed the ball home.

From there Boro took control and could have had a penalty minutes before half time when Bamford was brought down by Town defender Christophe Berra inside the area but referee Mike Jones waved play on. The visitor’s only chance of note came when Bishop tried his luck from distance but Konstantopulos held his effort.

The next goal would be decisive but with two organised defences on display it was going to take a moment of quality for either side grab it. That moment came on 64 minutes when Vossen threaded a fine pass beyond the Town defence for Bamford to chase, with the keeper to beat Bamford showed no signs of nerves selling Bialkowski the dummy before rounding him and slotting the ball into the net.

His second, fifteen minutes later, was equally as impressive when Leadbitter sliced a pass through the Town defence and Bamford spun clear. His job wasn’t done, as Berra scrambled back to try and block the shot. He didn’t, and the Boro striker curled the ball beyond Bialkowski at the keeper’s far post.

Bamford could have sealed an impressive performance with a hat trick but fired over when Adomah set him up with four minutes to go. Nevertheless he took the plaudits and was awarded the SkyBet man of the match, he’ll be hoping for something similar against his former club Derby on Tuesday night.

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   6- Couldn’t parry early shot to safety which led to an Ipswich equaliser

Tomas Kalas   7- Defended professionally and looked comfortable at right back

Daniel Ayala   6- Scored the opener but was forced off with an injury, hopefully not too serious

Ben Gibson   7- Cleared the danger with no nonsense

George Friend   7- Couldn’t get forward as much but defended well

Adam Reach   5- Indecisive in possession and lost his balance when in good areas

Adam Clayton   7- Struggled early on but improved as the game progressed, deliveries lead to the first two goals

Grant Leadbitter   7- Gained control of midfield in the second half

Albert Adomah   7.5- Was quick to win the ball back and run at defenders, took goal well

Jelle Vossen   6.5- Put himself about and set up Bamford first with a clever flick on

Patrick Bamford   8- Two great finishes demonstrated his quality and importance to the team

Subs   

Jonathan Woodgate   8- Won headers, tackles, you name it after replacing Ayala in the first half, experience played a part

Adam Forshaw   6- Came on with 20 minutes to go to tighten up midfield

Emilo Nsue – Came on with three minutes to go not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: Jonathan Woodgate   

 

 

Impressive Victory For Boro

Middlesbrough    3        Millwall    0

                             Bamford  26  Kike  30 

                                     Vossen  78

 

 

 

It was an attacking move which almost completed the perfect night on Teesside, as Middlesbrough full back George Friend threaded the ball through to team mate Albert Adomah before charging into the box for the return pass, sure enough it came, only for Millwall keeper David Forde to deny Friend a deserved goal. Nevertheless substitute Jelle Vossen was on hand to tap in the rebound. 3 goals to the good, 3 points and a spot at the top of the league. You can’t really argue with that.



Bamford and Kike were both back amongst the goals

The only thing which could have improved this comfortable 3-0 victory would have been if Friend had smashed the ball home when it fell to him on the edge of the penalty area to end a robust performance on the scoresheet. Moments later he drove forward again, taking on several Millwall players in the process, before returning to his orthodox left back position with a rich applause from the home fans ringing in his ears.

Of course Boro fans won’t really care about the nature of their goals as a win over a relegation-threatened Millwall side was all that mattered here. In fact Vossen’s goal capped off a good days work from the Boro strikers following first half goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike.

From the outside this appeared a game Boro had to win, at home to a side at the wrong end of the table. Their victory may have moved them to the summit of the Championship after Derby’s shock defeat to Brighton; however there remains just six points between Aitor Karanka’s side and 7^th place Ipswich Town who are currently outside the play-offs.

A slip up here would have been unthinkable, especially after recent defeats to Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday had threatened to derail Boro’s push for promotion.  In truth Karanka’s side never looked like coming unstuck once Bamford fired them ahead and they can now move on to trickier away fixtures at Nottingham Forest, Derby and Bournemouth with heads held high.

It was simply a case of back to basics, as Karanka made four changes from the team which lost to Wednesday at the weekend and reverted back to his traditional 4-2-3-1 formation. 

That included a return for Friend who was relentless all game, Leadbitter who added stability in midfield with regular partner Adam Clayton and Lee Tomlin whose presence added an extra punch to the attack. Right back Ryan Fredericks also returned and with the exception of the injured Daniel Ayala it could be agreed that this was Boro’s strongest side.

Despite his team’s position Millwall manager Ian Holloway named an unchanged side from the one which lost at Rotherham on Saturday and had things been different his side could have taken the lead here, when striker Lee Gregory burst through the Boro defence to latch onto a loose ball but his low effort was saved by the feet of Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos.

That was the only real highlight for Holloways’ side, seconds earlier Kike had headed a chance straight at Forde and on 26 minutes Boro moved in front. A flowing exchange from the left saw Adomah knock a pass inside to Tomlin who send a low cross into the box, a clever dummy from Kike left Bamford free at the back post and he made no mistake, side footing a first time shot high past Forde.     

Boro sensed blood.  And four minutes later they doubled their lead however there was a little more fortune when Kike finally bundled the ball over the line. With half an hour gone Bamford showed astute judgement to control Clayton’s pass over the top of the Millwall defence, before brushing the ball to his left to Kike who didn’t make the cleanest connection, nevertheless the ball bobbled over Forde and into the net.

That was Kike’s first goal since his memorable finish at Manchester City and Karanka admitted it was a relief that his forwards were finding the net again.    

“Patrick, Kike and Jelle and we needed their goals because if you look at the teams below us in the table, their strikers are scoring" said the Boro manager after the game.

“I knew when our strikers start to score goals that it is going to make the difference because we’re a very consistent team, all of them have scored and we’ve won the game.”

In contrast Holloway could only watch, wishing he had the same sort of riches as his opposite number. This result kept the Lions six points from safety in 22^nd place, their only chances here came from long range shooting, the closest coming when Diego Fabbrini hammered wide.

Even so the most likely outcome remain a Boro third, on 51 minutes Adomah flashed a low cross into the box but there was no one to apply the finishing touch. Minutes later Kike’s shot was blocked before Leadbitter’s curling free kick was turned goal bound by Adomah but Forde held his effort.

Millwall almost set up a nervy finish when substitute Ed Upson shot from distance but couldn’t hit the target, any hopes of a comeback were dashed almost immediately when Vossen completed the scoring to move Boro top of the league with eleven games to go.

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Made a vital save at 0-0 but didn’t face much after that

Ryan Fredericks   7- Snubbed out any danger defensively and joined in attacks

Ben Gibson   7- Looked comfortable cutting out passes and crosses

Tomas Kalas   7- Was put under some early pressure but held firm

George Friend   8- Was relentless running up and down the left channel all game

Adam Clayton   7.5- Won challenges and played some effective passes forward

Grant Leadbitter   7- Work may have gone unnoticed but added stability in midfield

Patrick Bamford   7- Moved back out to the right, took goal well

Albert Adomah   7.5- Has had a quick return to form in recent weeks, linked up well with Friend

Lee Tomlin   6.5- Still showed moments of quality, but gave the ball away a couple of times

Kike   7- Worked hard and held the ball up well at times

Subs   

Jelle Vossen   6.5- Came on for the last 17 minutes and got on the scoresheet

Adam Forshaw – Came on for the last 8 minutes, can’t give a fair rating

Yanic Wildschut - Came on for the last 8 minutes, can’t give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: George Friend