Middlesbrough Beat Charlton To Back Up United Victory

Middlesbrough    3        Charlton    0

                           Nugent 59  Adomah 65 

                                       Ayala 77

What a week this has been for Middlesbrough. On Wednesday night they did the unthinkable by knocking Manchester United out of the cup at Old Trafford, today they showed that their promising league campaign is also well on track after another Championship victory.   

Second half goals from David Nugent, Albert Adomah and Daniel Ayala were enough to see off a less than ambitious Charlton side at the Riverside Stadium. The visitors, who are in the relegation zone, barely ventured out of their own half as they set up to antagonise and frustrate all afternoon.

David Nugent opened the scoring for Boro
(picture from i4.gazettelive.co.uk)

For just over an hour it worked and a Boro side, which showed 7 changes from the United game, struggled to break down the compact visitors. There were even flashbacks of the goalless draw with Fulham a fortnight ago and the agonising defeat to Bristol City back in August. Yet on this occasion Boro found the quality to break the opposition down.

Charlton, who sacked manager Guy Luzon last week couldn’t be blamed for coming to try and take a point against a higher placed side. Even so this was taking the term ‘parking the bus’ to a whole new level and striker Simon Makienok hardly crossed the half way line. In the end it was refreshing to see the attacking team prevail.

Karanka’s team selection demonstrated Boro’s strength in depth as several of the Old Trafford heroes were rested. Bruno Zuculini made his first league start in midfield alongside Adam Clayton as Grant Leadbitter took an unfamiliar position on the bench alongside George Friend.

That meant Fernando Amorbieta started at left back and Stewart Downing wore the captain’s armband. Charlton were also without their skipper Johnnie Jackson so Chris Solly led the side which showed three changes from their defeat to Brentford last time out.

Following Luzon’s departure, Karel Fraeye was appointed interim manager for the Addicks and he quickly found out about the tough job he will face to keep them up.

Boro dominated possession and mounted some early pressure through Nugent, whose shot after 13 minutes was blocked. Moments later Downing curled an effort from the edge of the box over the cross bar.

Even so a wall of 11 men is tough to displace as Boro have found at the Riverside this season. At times they could have been accused of overplaying, as they struggled to move the ball forward and create clear cut chances in the early exchanges.

Their best opening of the half came on 24 minutes when Adomah surged into the box but flashed his shot wide across goal. Fabbrini was the next to try and forced goalkeeper Stephen Henderson to tip a dipping shot over the cross bar, as Boro’s patience began prosper.

Even so they needed to up the tempo and in the second half they did. Zuculini and Clayton had looked comfortable on the ball, while the attacking players had got into some promising positions but taken a touch too many when they arrived .

After the break the intensity amplified as the visitors began to tire. Immediately Henderson was busier in the Charlton goal and denied Amoriabieta an unlikely goal after the defender had ventured into the opposition box.

That was a sign of things to come and just before the hour the breakthrough came. Clayton’s low cross from the right took deflection before landing perfectly into Nugent’s path, then with only Henderson to beat from close range the striker gratefully converted the chance to send Boro on their way.

Suddenly the pressure was released and within a couple of minutes Zuculini had almost doubled the lead when a long range strike rebounded off the post.  

However they didn’t have to wait long as Adomah added a spectacular second on 66 minutes. After cutting in from the right the Ghanaian winger curled a shot towards to corner with his weaker left foot, a slight deflection helped the ball past Henderson who was left rooted to the spot.

The visitors nearly pulled one back with their first effort on target when Reza Ghoochannejhad struck a fine shot which Dimi Konstantopulos had to parry away.

The points were sealed 12 minutes from time when Downing’s corner was headed home by Ayala, as Boro remained 4^th in the Championship before a home game with Rotherham on Tuesday. 

  

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   6.5- Had to make one decent save all game did well to stay alert

Emilio Nsue   7.5- Got forward and provided good outlet all afternoon

Ben Gibson   6.5- Didn’t have much to do against weak Charlton attack

Daniel Ayala   7- Solid defensively and added a goal towards the end

 Fernando Amorbieta   7- Adapted well to less familiar left back position

Bruno Zuculini   7- Gave a few passes away early on but looked more and more comfortable on the ball

Adam Clayton   7.5- Kept the ball moving and got forward more as Boro pushed for the opener

Albert Adomah   7- Worked well with Nsue on the right and got back amongst the goals

Stewart Downing   7- Quiet in the first half, saw more of the ball and had more effect after the break

Diego Fabbrini   7.5- Drew defenders towards him, often took 2 or 3 to stop his tricky feet

David Nugent   7.5- Worked tirelessly for the team and got in the right position to get the all-important opener

Subs

Jack Stephens – Only came on for the last 11 minutes, not enough time to give a fair rating

Carlos De Pena - Only came on for the last 11 minutes, not enough time to give a fair rating

Kike - Only came on for the last 10 minutes, not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: David Nugent

   

Middlesbrough v Charlton Preview

Aitor Karanka said that his Middlesbrough side were the “better team” after they stunned Manchester United to knock them out of the Capital One Cup on Wednesday night. This weekend Boro, who are 4^th in the Championship, will return to league action to take on 22^nd placed Charlton at the Riverside. The Addicks sacked manager Guy Luzon last week and haven’t won in the league since August; Karel Fraeye will take charge of the team after he was appointed as their interim head coach on Monday.

Team News

Karanka made 5 changes for the United game and should make a number of alterations once again for this league encounter. Dimi Konstantopulos will return in goal in place of penalty shoot-out hero Tomas Mejias, while midfielder Bruno Zuculini may make his first league appearance after sighing on loan from Manchester City earlier this week.

In contrast Fraeye has a number of injuries to deal with and will be without striker Igor Vetokele as well as midfielders Cristian Ceballos and Ahmed Kashi. Midfielder Alou Diarra may come back into side after serving a one-match suspension in Charlton’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford last time out.

Facts and Stats

Charlton haven’t beat Boro in their last 10 meetings, which have included 3 draws and 7 defeats.

The Addicks last won at the Riverside in 2005 when they prevailed 3-0 after goals from Dennis Rommedahl, Chris Perry and Darren Bent.

Last season Boro won this fixture 3-1 thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford, Jelle Vossen and Lee Tomlin.

Charlton striker Tony Watt has gone 755 minutes without a league goal (BBC Sport)

Key Players

Boro’s Key

Grant Leadbitter

Boro's Grant Leadbitter
(Picture from i3.gazettelive.co.uk)

The Boro captain appeared more disappointed than anyone after Boro’s defeat at Cardiff a few weeks ago. He responded by scoring a penalty at Wolves last weekend before converting the first spot kick in the shoot-out at Old Trafford, both of which sparked  passionate celebrations from the midfielder. Leadbitter’s partnership with Adam Clayton in midfield has been a huge strength for Boro and makes the team difficult to beat; however neither are regular goal scorers. Without a goal in open play this season, Leadbitter may have to contribute more in the attacking third if Boro are to earn promotion, especially in games at the Riverside.

One To Watch

Johnnie Jackson

Charlton's Johnnie Jackson
Picture from (www.skysports.com)

Charlton’s skipper has recently come back from injury and only returned to the side in the Addicks’ 3-0 defeat to Brentford. The 33 year old midfielder has been at the club since 2010 and was part of the team which won promotion to the Championship back in 2012. Jackson can be dangerous from free kicks, but has only scored once in the league this season after 7 appearances. He will have to contribute in attack and defence if his team are to get anything from the Riverside where Boro have lost just once this campaign.

Form

Middlesbrough

Manchester United 0-0 – [1-3 on penalties] (Capital One Cup)

Wolves 1-3 W

Cardiff 0-1 L

Fulham 0-0 D

Reading 0-2 L

Charlton

Brentford 0-3 L

Reading 0-3 L

Reading 1-0 L

Fulham 2-2 D

Cardiff 2-1 L

Prediction

Middlesbrough 2 Charlton 0

Boro are usually strong at home and will want prove that their victory over United wasn’t just a one off. Even so after 120 minutes of football some players may be feeling a little tired coming into this match so I think I could be closer than people may think. However Charlton have struggled for goals this season and are in the relegation zone so I’m going for a home win.  

   

Middlesbrough Beat Wolves To Go Fourth

Stewart Downing came off the bench to score as Middlesbrough came back from a goal down to beat Wolves at Molineux.

The Teesiders, who were without a win in 3 games, fell behind to a first half header from David Edwards, however, a goal from Diego Fabbrini and penalty from Grant Leadbitter quickly swung the game before Downing’s stoppage time free kick sealed the win.

Grant Leadbitter celebrating Boro's 2nd goal
picture from (www.sportsmole.co.uk)

Downing’s exclusion was a bold decision from Boro manager Aitor Karanka, who also named Albert Adomah among the substitutes in a side which showed two changes from the side which lost to Cardiff last time out. In contrast Wolves manager Kenny Jackett made 4 changes from the side which lost 2-0 to Brentford.

The hosts nearly found themselves behind when Tomas Kalas’ long range effort was saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Even so Wolves took the lead moments later when Edwards arrived late in the box to head home Rajiv van La Parra’s cross from the left.

The lead was nearly doubled in the second half when Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos denied James Henry.

Boro drew level 19 minutes from time when Fabbrini’s low shot from the edge of the box nestled in the bottom left corner.

They went on to take the lead 11 minutes later when Nathan Byrne brought down George Friend in the area before Grant Leadbitter converted the spot kick. Downing’s free kick into the top corner came in stoppage time, as Boro moved back up to 4^th in the league.  

Friend Own Goal Hands Cardiff Late Win

Cardiff City    1        Middlesbrough    0

                     Friend (OG) 86

A late George Friend own goal left Middlesbrough without a win in three games as they lost away at Cardiff who moved up to 8^th in the Championship table.

The match was decided four minutes from time when an attempted clearance from Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos hit Friend and cannoned into his own net after a goal line scramble, it’s a result which sees Boro drop down to 6^th ahead of a trip to Wolves on Saturday.

Boro players left stunned after late winner
(Picture from www.express.co.uk)

Visiting manager Aitor Karanka made 2 changes from his side’s goalless draw with Fulham at the weekend while Russell Slade’s City side showed 4 alterations from their 0-0 draw at Preston.

The hosts started well and Konstantopulos had to make first half saves to deny Craig Noone and Peter Whittingham in the first half.

Boro responded through Albert Adomah but his close range header was straight at David Marshall, moments later the Ghanaian winger found himself in another promising position but fired an effort over.

The visitors continued to threaten and created numerous chances but Marshall was on hand to deny Adomah, once more, and Diego Fabbrini.

Those opportunities proved costly as the unfortunate Friend put through his own net in the dying minutes.

Middlesbrough Left Frustrated After Goaless Draw With Fulham

It was an afternoon of sheer frustration for Middlesbrough fans in yesterday’s goalless draw with Fulham. A few weeks ago Aitor Karanka’s side appeared to be the team to beat in the Sky Bet Championship, but this was not the sort performance to suggest that they are Premier League side in waiting.

Before last week’s international break Boro’s impressive run of 8 victories in a row came to an abrupt end when they lost away to fellow high flyers Reading away from home.

This was therefore a perfect opportunity for Karanka’s men to come back swinging after a fortnight away, however in a game with little quality they barely throw a punch.

Boro's Grant Leadbitter and Fulham's Ben Pringle 

Fulham were no slouches and to their credit they didn’t simply batten down the hatches and defend like other teams have done at the Riverside this season. Even so this was still a side which had let a 2 goal lead slip at home to Charlton 2 weeks ago and lost 3-0 to Wolves before that.

As the score line suggests it was a day for defenders and some recognition should go to the Fulham centre backs Richard Stearman and Dan Burn who defended admirably. The same could be said about Daniel Ayala and Ben Gibson in the Boro backline, which was once again shielded by the excellent Adam Clayton, but overall the passing was slow and ordinary meaning both sides had time to keep their shape.

Karanka made 3 changes from the side which lost at the Madejski Stadium last time out, Fernando Amorebieta was ineligible to play against his parent club so Ben Gibson replaced him in defence.

Carlos De Pena made his first league start in place of Christian Stuani, who wasn’t even on the bench after representing Uruguay over the international break, while David Nugent replaced Kike upfront.

Kit Symons made 2 changes to the Fulham side which drew with Charlton in their last game. Like Amorebieta, James Husband couldn’t play against the side he is currently on loan from so fellow left back Luke Garbutt took his place. The other change saw Burn replace Tim Ream at centre half.

Last season Fulham, in particular Ross McCormack, all but ended Boro’s hopes of automatic promotion when the London club recorded a 4-3 victory at Craven Cottage.

The London club started the brighter here and were nearly ahead inside 8 minutes when Ryan Tunnicliff quickly burst into the Boro penalty area and squared the ball back to McCormack, who had the goal at his mercy; however the Scott was denied by a superb slide tackle from Ayala.

After being let off the hook the hosts began to grow into a sluggish match, Fabbrini tried his luck from range but curled his shot wide. Then after 23 minutes George Friend, on his 28^th birthday, crossed from the left to find Nugent whose shot was deflected off target.

The match remained relatively even with neither side creating anything clear cut. Tunnicliffe’s shot from range was straight at Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos, who then showed good bravery to leap on Lasse Vigen Christensen’s low cross minutes later.

Boro did manage to find the back of the net when Fabbrini released Nugent through on goal, but the linesman’s flag was already raised. Before that De Pena had an effort blocked and Stewart Downing’s cross was caught by keeper Andy Lonergan.

Boro started the 2^nd half in a more lively fashion, Grant Leadbitter set up Nugent who was closed down before he was about to shoot and Ayala had a header saved from the resulting corner.

Albert Adomah replaced De Pena on 56 minutes, however Boro’s shots continued to be either blocked or fired wide. The best chance fell to the visitors when a careless clearance from Friend went straight to McCormack whose shot required a sharp one handed save from Konstantopulos.

In the closing stages the hosts appeared the more likely to score and Fabbrini saw another shot deflected over. Even so the visitors could and probably should have stolen the points when McCormack was picked out in space on the counter attack but his shot cleared the bar.

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Made a couple of decent saves in particular from McCormack

Tomas Kalas   6.5 Solid defensively, tried to get forward at times

Daniel Ayala   7   Made a crucial interception to deny McCormack in the first half

Ben Gibson   6.5   Slotted back into the defence quite comfortably  

George Friend   6- Made a couple of wayward clearances at the back

Adam Clayton   7.5 Won the ball on numerous occasions and protected the back four

Grant Leadbitter   6 Made a couple of tackles in the middle of the park, passing was a bit slow at times

Carlos De Pena   5 - Rarely got in the game on his first league start

Diego Fabbrini   5.5- Had a couple of shot but rarely tested the keeper

Stewart Downing   6- Struggled to have a major impact operating on the right

David Nugent   6- Worked hard upfront but lacked service

Subs

Albert Adomah   6- Looked lively when he first came on but faded gradually

Kike – Only came on for the last ten minutes, can’t give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: Adam Clayton

Middlesbrough v Fulham Preview

Middlesbrough’s 8 match winning streak came to an abrupt end a fortnight ago when lost to Reading at the Madejeski Stadium. Aitor Karanka’s side remained 2^nd in the league before last week’s international and will return to Championship action at home to Fulham this weekend.  The visitors will begin the match in 12^th place after an erratic start to the season. At the end of September they thrashed QPR 4-0 but lost 3-0 to Wolves the following week; they then blew a 2 goal lead to draw 2-2 with Charlton in their last game.

Team News

Boro will be without centre back Fernando Amorebieta, who is ineligible to play against the club he is on loan from. The same applies to left back James Husband who is on loan at Fulham from Teesiders. Full back Ryan Fredericks, who was on loan at Boro last season, could start for the visitors after signing permanently in the summer.

Karanka rested David Nugent for the trip to Reading a fortnight ago after the striker had a reported knock. The Boro manager will have to decide whether to start Albert Adomah and Christain Stuani who represented Ghana and Uraguay respectively during the international break. Fulham manger Kit Symons will face a similar dilemma with centre back Tim Ream who played for the USA.

Facts And Stats

  

Fulham have never won at the Riverside in their nine visits to the stadium, losing six and drawing three

Both sides have scored 17 goals this season, only QPR on 18 have netted more.

Key Players

Boro's Key

David Nugent

Boro's David Nugent

The ex-Leicester striker has added some required energy and goals to Boro’s front line this season. His experience in the Championship has been a vital asset in Boro’s strong start to the campaign, which has seen them score 17 goals in 10 games. Since his arrival in the summer Nugent has asserted himself as Karanka’s first choice centre forward ahead of the likes of Kike and Stuani. That is mainly down his relentless work rate and constant will to chase down lost causes. At the Riverside teams have tended to sit deep and defend in numbers so Nugent may have to be patient and take his chance when it comes.   

One To Watch

Ross McCormack

Fulham's Ross McCormack 

In the summer of 2013 McCormack was heavily linked with move to Boro but elected to stay at Leeds before moving to Fulham a year later. He came back to haunt the Teesiders in last year’s league fixture at Craven Cottage when his hat-trick, in a 4-3 Fulham victory, all but ended Boro’s hopes of automatic promotion.Despite criticism for his hefty £12 million price tag, the Scott has still been a reliable source of goals. He scored 17 in the league last season and has already netted 4 times in 8 games at the start this campaign.

Form

        

Middlesbrough

Reading 2-0 L

Leeds 3-0 W

Wolves 3-0 W (Capital One Cup)

Nottingham Forest 1-2 W

Brentford 3-1 W

Fulham

Charlton 2-2 D

Wolves 0-3 L

QPR 4-0 W

Stoke 0-1 L (Capital One Cup)

Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 L

Prediction

Middlesbrough 3 Fulham 1

Boro are usually strong at home and have had a good week to get the Reading defeat out of their system. Fulham have showed that they can be a threat this season, especially going forward, however they have been inconsistent and leaked goals so I’m predicting a home win.

Reading End Boro's Winning Run

Reading    2        Middlesbrough    0

              Williams 1  Blackman (Pen) 88

Middlesbrough’s five match winning streak came to an abrupt end as they were beaten by fellow high-flyers Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Striker Nick Blackman celebrates Reading's second goal

Danny Williams opened the scoring after just 15 seconds when his early header beat Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos. It until the 88^th minute for the hosts to double their lead when in form striker Nick Blackman converted from the penalty spot.

It’s a result which moves the Royals up to third in the league on 18 points, bridging the gap to Boro who are now just two points better off. Even so Aitor Karanka’s side remain in second place going into this week’s international break, trailing leaders Brighton by two points.

Going into this match Boro had the best defensive record in the division; however that wasn’t evident early on. Hal Robson-Kanu's cross from the left was allowed to travel into the box where Williams arrived unmarked and was able to power his header home.

Karanka left out the likes of Albert Adomah and David Nugent, who had a slight knock, on the bench. His side nearly fell further behind when Konstatopulos thwarted Blackman’s shot before Ayala headed Orlando Sa’s rebound off the line.

With two minutes to go the hosts sealed the game when Fernando Amorebieta bundled over Blackman in the penalty area before the forward calmly converted from 12 yards.

Reading v Middlesbrough Preview

Two of the Championship’s in form side will go head to head this weekend as Middlesbrough take on Reading in today’s 3 o’clock kick-off. Boro have won their last five league games and go into the match placed second in the division a point behind leaders Brighton.  After winning four of their last five Steve Clarke’s Reading side are in a similar good run of form which has propelled them to third in the table, even so they remain five points behind Boro above them and will be hoping to close the gap before next week’s international break.

Team News

Boro manager Aitor Karanka doesn’t have any fresh injury problems to worry about following his side’s victory over Leeds last weekend. After a 3-0 victory most managers would opt to name an unchanged side, however Karanka has shown in the past that he is prepared to make changes even after a win.

Reading will be without midfielder Stephen Quinn and striker Matej Vydra who are both missing with knee injuries. Centre back Anton Ferdinand remains absent with a thigh injury, however there is better news for striker Orlando Sa who is available after a 3 match ban following his red card against Derby last month.  

Facts And Stats

Boro haven’t won at the Madejski Stadium since 2009 when Sean St Ledger and former Royal Leroy Lita scored for Boro in a 2-0 victory.

Reading striker Nick Blackman has scored in his last 3 games in all competitions.

Both Aitor Karanka and Steve Clarke were assistants to Jose Mourinho before becoming managers.

Key Players

Boro midfielder Adam Clayton

Boro’s Key

Adam Clayton

After signing from Huddersfield last summer Clayton played a key role in Boro’s strong campaign last term, forming a reliable partnership with Grant Leadbitter in the middle of the park. This season the midfield enforcer has picked up where he left off, playing admirably in front of the back four. Clayton received the ‘Man Of The Match’ award against Leeds last weekend following his robust tackles and excellent disciple, he will have to be on his game again to help Boro’s defense cope with a potent Reading attack which have scored 4 in their last 2 league games.

One To Watch

Nick Blackman

Reading forward Nick Blackman

Nick Blackman is one of the hottest strikers in the division right now and is the second highest scorer in the division with 6 league goals; only Charlie Austin on 7 has more. It hasn’t always been easy for the 25 year old who joined from Sheffield United in 2013 without making an immediate impact. However this season something has evidently clicked. With the likes of Lucas Piazon, Garath McCleary and Hal Robson-Kanu for company, Blackman has pace and power around him to supplement his own in what appears a vigorous frontline.         

Form

Reading

Burnley 1-2 W

Everton 1-2 L (Capital One Cup)

Bristol City 0-2 W

Derby 0-1 L

Ipswich 5-1 W

Middlesbrough

Leeds 3-0 W

Wolves 3-0 W (Capital One Cup)

Nottingham Forest 1-2 W

Brentford 3-1 W

MK Dons 2-0 W

Prediction

Reading 1 Middlesbrough 1

A year ago this fixture finished goalless, as both sides lacked firepower upfront. This season it’s a different story. Boro are the top scorers in the division with seventeen goals while Reading have found the net on fourteen occasions after 9 games. Aitor Karanka has, at times, shown that he is a cautious manager who likes to put his defense first, especially away from home. However, this season his side have shown plenty of adventure on the road at Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday. For this reason I think there will be goals, however it is still tight to call so I’m going for a draw.