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.
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| 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 7th 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
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