Middlesbrough 1 Rotherham 0
Downing 16
It was the sort of chance which Stewart Downing must have
craved when he returned to Middlesbrough this summer. Sixteen minutes had gone
when the former England international pounced on to a loose pass from
Rotherham’s Grant Ward and charged towards goal.
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| Stewart Downing celebrates the only goal of the game (Picture from i2.gazettelive.co.uk) |
When he arrived in the box he calmly slotted a left foot
shot past keeper Lee Camp. It was the type of match winning contribution which Boro
supporters eagerly anticipated when he finally put pen to paper on a 5-year-deal.
After that the home fans could have been forgiven for
expecting a few more goals against a Rotherham side planted to the bottom of
the Championship table. In the end the single goal was all that separated the
two sides in dwindling Tuesday night encounter.
It was to Rotherham’s credit that the score line remained
close and the visitors certainly showed more ambition than the Charlton side
who visited the Riverside on Saturday. Even so they lacked the killer punch in
the final third and never posed a consistent threat.
Boro, who remain 4th in the division after their third
successive victory, were far from top gear in a match they were strongly
expected to win. After making 4 changes from Saturday’s victory, Aitor Karanka
would have been as relieved as anyone to see his team stagger over the line.
The most significant alterations came in defence as Daniel
Ayala and Ben Gibson were left on the bench. Both had played 120 minutes
in the Capital One Cup tie at Manchester United so it wasn’t a huge surprise
that Tomas Kalas and Fernando Amorebieta started the game as the 2 centre backs.
Further forward Grant Leadbitter retook the captain’s
armband after missing the victory over Charlton. He was joined by Carlos De
Pena, as Diego Fabbrini and Bruno Zuculini dropped to the bench.
After a 3-0 defeat to Derby Neil Redfern made five changes
to his Rotherham side, as former Boro player Richard Smallwood had to settle
for a place on the bench. Full back Frazer Richardson, who also spent a short
spell at Boro, was one of the players to return along with Tony Andreu, Farrend
Rawson, Tom Thorpe and Paul Green.
Coming into the match the visitors had the worst defensive
record in the division after conceding 27 goals in 14 games. They nearly fell behind after just 7 minutes
here when Albert Adomah tried his luck from the edge of the box, but his low
shot was comfortably saved.
Rotherham showed more ambition in the opening exchanges than
what Charlton had displayed in the entire 90 minutes on Saturday. However that
proved to be part of their downfall with 16 minutes gone.
Grant Ward’s careless pass inside his own half set up Downing
who had space to manoeuvre. There were defenders in pursuit but that wasn’t
enough to stop him, as he charged into the penalty area before firing a low shot
across goal. Camp could only watch as it nestled into the bottom corner of the
net.
The hosts had opportunities to extend their lead; Downing
turned provider when he delivered an inviting cross for Carlos De Pena but the Uruguayan’s
header rebounded off the crossbar.
Downing was involved again when his cross from the right
bypassed the few players in the Rotherham box. It was then hooked back across goal
by Friend, from the opposite wing, however Adomah blazed his effort over the
bar.
Despite their intentions Rotherham created few chances;
their only shot on target came on the stroke of half time when Green’s shot was
hit straight at Dimi Konstantopulos.
After the break Boro continued to create opportunities but lacked
a cutting edge or the hunger to put the game to bed. At times they simply
invited pressure as the visitors remained in contention.
A second goal would surely have put an end to that, and the
hosts did produce openings to extend their lead. However De Pena headed over
the bar after another Downing cross, while David Nugent shot over the bar from
close range.
Boro were nearly made to rue those misses with 9 minutes to
go when Amorebieta was caught dawdling on the ball and was dispossessed by
substitute Jordan Bowery. The Venezuelan defender must have been the most relieved man in the stadium when Bowery cannoned his shot into the side netting when bearing down on
goal.
Even after that close encounter, Boro could have moved
further ahead. Friend hit the post after an overlapping run, before substitute
Diego Fabbrini cleared the bar from inside the area.
No classic by any means but a win nonetheless for Karanka
and his team who will now prepare for a trip to top of the table Hull on Saturday.
Player Ratings
Dimi Konstantopulos
6- Had very little to do, only faced one shot on target
Emilio Nsue 6.5- Got
forward and delivered some decent crosses early on
Tomas Kalas 6- Defended
well enough, at times his distribution was a little sloppy
Fernando Amorebieta
6- Was having a comfortable game until complacent error nearly cost his
team
George Friend 6.5 -
Made some decent runs to provide an outlet from full back
Grant Leadbitter 6- Kept
possession but struggled to create much going forward
Adam Clayton 7-
Comfortable on the ball and broke up play in midfield
Albert Adomah 6- Had
more of a go at players in the second half, crossing let him down at times
Carlos De Pena 6.5-
Got into some decent positions on the wing and arrived in the box on occasions.
Stewart Downing 7.5-
Got the winner and was Boro’s most creative player all game
David Nugent 5.5- Roamed
around upfront but had little impact on the game
Subs
Bruno Zuculini 6-
Came on for the last 25 minutes and tightened up midfield
Diego Fabbrini- Came on for the last 11 minutes, not enough
time to give a fair rating
My Boro Man Of The Match: Stewart Downing
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