Boro Miss Chance To Go Top After Blackburn Defeat

Blackburn    2        Middlesbrough    1

                   Akpan 47 Graham 83                                        Forshaw 90

Middlesbrough missed the chance to go top of the Championship as they were beaten 2-1 by Blackburn at Ewood Park.

Ex-Boro players Danny Graham and Jason Steele were out to haunt their former side, as Blackburn moved up two places into 16^th position.

Danny Graham scores the second goal of the game
(Picture from www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)

Graham added the second goal of the evening seven minutes from the end, after Hope Akpan had put the hosts ahead after half time.

Goalkeeper Steele made a number of important saves to deny his former employers, most notably to keep out striker Jordan Rhodes who made the switch from Rovers to Boro in January.

Adam Forshaw pulled a goal back for the visitors, but it was too little too late as they stayed third in the table.

It could have been different for Boro, who had chances in the first half. Their closest effort came courtesy of Albert Adomah who shot wide from the edge of the area.

Rovers took the lead minutes after the restart when Matt Grimes' cross from the left was met by a powerful header from Akpan for the opening goal.

Boro almost equalised but David Nugent rolled his shot wide before Steele saved with his feet to keep out Rhodes.

With seven minutes to go Steele launched a long ball up field which Tony Watt flick on into Graham’s path. He calmly poked the ball past Konstantoplos to score his second goal for the club, after signing on loan in January. Forshaw’s late strike in stoppage time was only a consolation.