Middlesbrough 2 Wolves 0
Emnes (Pen) 88
McDonald 90
A game which won’t be remembered for the most convincing
victory of the season, but three vital points against unpredictable
Wolverhampton Wanderers meant Tony Mowbray’s Middlesbrough were able to do what
promotion rivals Cardiff and Crystal Palace weren’t on Saturday, a win moves
them in touching distance of an automatic promotion place.
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| Emnes celebrates his first goal at the Riverside since Febuary |
The nerves grew, as substitute Marvin Emnes stepped up to
take what looked a soft penalty for hand ball two minutes from the end. After
an extensive wait the Boro fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the
spot kick was calmly converted.
After three consecutive home games of discounted prices for
the fans, the Riverside appeared a little flat with an attendance of 15,662.
However the loyal supporters were given more to shout about when a quick
counter attack eventually found Scott McDonald who smashed the ball into the
back of the net securing the points.
Boro made five changes from the side which were left heartbroken
following a League Cup exit away to Swansea on Wednesday. Jonathan Woodgate
returned as captain, as Andre Bikey and Faris Haroun were forced out with
hamstring injuries.
Ishmael Miller partnered
Scott McDonald up front, while Josh McEachran, ineligible for the cup game,
started on the left, Luke Williams on the right and Richard Smallwood all came in.
Lukas Jutkiewitz, Nicky Bailey and Emmanuel Ledesma occupied the bench.
It didn’t take long for the mind games to begin, after Wolves
won the toss and elected to start shooting towards their own fans, meaning Boro
wouldn’t be attacking to the North stand in the second half.
Few clear cut chances were created all game, but it was Boro
who had the most creativity in the early exchanges. A delightful pass from Seb
Hines over the Wolves defence picked out McDonald, who controlled the ball well
but could only drag his left foot shot wide of the far post.
Three minutes later the hosts came close again when a teasing
ball from McEachran was met by Williams whose low shot was bravely blocked by Wolves
keeper Carl Ikeme who had an impressive loan spell at Boro last season.
To Boro’s credit Wolves never really threatened their opponent’s
goal in the first half proving difficult to break down in defence. The visitor’s
closest effort coming from Bakary Sako’s free kick from the edge of the area
which was drilled low into the gloves of Jason Steele.
Six minutes after the restart Boro were presented with
another opportunity, when the ball came to Williams in space, however despite
being urged to shoot by the fans the striker dribbled the ball wide and was eventfully
closed down.
As Boro began to drop deeper down the pitch, the visitors
slowly started to increase the pressure. This passage of play caused Mowbray to
make multiple changes, introducing Emnes and Ledesma replacing Williams and
Miller.
With the match still on a knife edge, the game began to open
up, as both goals were briefly threatened. Smallwood’s deflected shot was held
by Ikeme before Kevin Doyle’s long range shot was parried away by Steele.
Then came the moment of controversy, just as the game looked
to be heading for a draw McDonald’s cross hit the arm of Wolves captain Karl
Hendry. The referee looked to his linesman who flagged for a penalty to the
protests of the Wolves players. Emnes was quick to grab the ball and after a lengthy
wait the Ducthman coolly tucked the ball in the bottom right corner sending
Ikeme the wrong way.
However the game didn’t end there, as Wolves went all out
for the equaliser Boro quickly hit them on the break when Emnes drove forward
at defence, outnumbered by attackers, before he picked out McDonald who was
clinical in adding his ninth goal of the season from inside the area.
The win keeps Boro third in the table three points off
leaders Cardiff who were beaten at home by Peterborough. Tony Mowbray’s side
now face an away trip to Leeds next week before a home game on Boxing Day
against Blackburn.
Player Ratings
Jason Steele 8- A
few tricky shots and crosses in and around the area which were all dealt with
well
Justin Hoyte 6.5-
Got forward when he could but rarely used
Jonathan Woodgate (C)
8.5- Showed his Premier league quality read the game excellently
Seb Hines 8.5- Backed
up good performance on Wednesday with a dominant display in defence
George Friend 6- A
few sloppy passes, didn’t make as much of a impact going forward as usual
Luke Williams 5.5- Didn’t
take an opportunity to impress replaced after an hour
Grant Leadbitter 6.5-
Worked hard as always but a little bit erratic in midfield, booked for a silly
foul
Richard Smallwood 7-
Won a lot of loose balls in midfield
Josh McEachran 6.5-
Created some good chances early on but faded on the wing as the game progressed
Ishmael Miller 5.5-
Continued to drift wide when he was expected to be the target striker
Scott McDonald 7.5-
Worked hard after offered few opportunities, but took his chance at the end
Subs
Marvin Emnes 7-
Offered a different threat when he came on with a goal and an assist
My Boro man of the match: Jonathan Woodgate
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