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BORO v BLACKBURN, CARLING CUP QUARTER-FINAL 21-12-05
A big occasion and a big opportunity to give our season a real boost. Boro went into this cup-tie looking for no less than a win and a semi-final berth.
Boro went 4-4-2 with Adam Johnson starting in place of James Morrison and Mark Viduka left out altogether. The bench contained three defenders.
Schwarzer, Pogatetz, Riggott, Southgate, Bates, Johnson, Doriva, Boateng, Rochemback, Hasselbaink, Yakubu
Jones, Queudrue, Parnaby, Ehiogu, Maccarone
THE FIRST HALF
Boro started brightly in the first five minutes but the flow that we were trying to create was disrupted by dirty Robbie Savage fouling Fabio Rochemback and JFH being clattered by dirty Paul Dickov. It seemed like it was going to be a rough night but things went very quiet after those two opening incidents.
After twenty minutes, Boro had had just one shot, a Fabio Rochemback special that took on a mind of it's own as it approached orbit. Perhaps there is a message in the ball that he's trying to send back to Portugal?
A chance presented itself dead on twenty minutes that fatal hesitation deemed was not going to go in. Once again the culprit was Rochemback, who can have no excuses for not shooting on sight when level with the penalty spot.
Boro's best move of the first quarter of the match nearly came from Adam Johnson after Yakubu had made up lost ground and won back the advantage. He power-housed his way forward only for Johnson to send the finish wide.
Skippy was called into action just before the half-hour mark as Blackburn won yet another ball in the air and Kuqi was allowed space to shoot again. Kuqi was immediately recognised as the dangerman in that particular situation.
The game went through a sluggish period for most of the rest of the first half until dirty Robbie Savage fouled Doriva and became the first player to be yellow carded in this match.
Boro had a penalty claim turned down a minute later after a dirty Blackburn defender went in hard on Southgate who had picked up from another Adam Johnson move. The claim was turned down and it was the last meaningful incident of the first-half until Gareth Southgate was once again fouled by dirty Paul Dickov.
Boro failed to do anything useful with the free-kick and the half ended with very little to talk about in terms of action. A dull, dull first half if there ever was one.
THE SECOND HALF
Boro made a change for the second half, Matthew Bates making way for Stuart Parnaby and the team came out looking for a goal from the off. An excellent ball from Rochemback was cleared by dirty Robbie Savage after Yakubu failed to run on to it.
But Yakubu missed the ball after thirteen minutes when he flew in to the box to pick up a cross that was the result of Boro's best move of the night so far. But he failed to connect and after ten minutes of the second half, the score remained 0-0.
But a minute later it was Boro who were breathing huge sighs of relief after a scramble in the box led to three attempts on goal by Blackburn, the final one being blocked and cleared by Chris Riggott in fine style.
Boro could really have done with upping the pace and taking the game to Blackburn at this stage but for the best part, the game remained lacklustre, placid and dogged.
Once again, Blackburn should have taken the lead when Ryan Nelson put a glorious chance wide but Boro put some pressure on immediately afterwards. Rochemback, who is clearly trying too hard to score, put in a heavy shot that was deflected for a corner.
Boro's second substitution came on seventy minutes when Adam Johnson was withdrawn and on came cup-tie stalemate breaker specialist Hail Massimo. Rochemback went left and Hail Massimo joined JFH and Yakubu up front.
The two front men needed somehow linking up with the rest of the team as they had seemed isolated for large parts of the play.
Play was stopped for a few minutes as George Boateng took a smash on the ankle and required treatment. George tried to carry on but didn't make it. He was replaced by French Franck Queudrue.
INTO THE RED ZONE
Boro reorganised with ten minutes to go until extra time with the midfield reshaping to allow Hail Massimo to provide even more support to the front two.
That provision never really came and neither did any concerted effort from Boro to do anything other than take the game into extra-time. Blackburn had other ideas though and the damage was done by one particular break that foxed our rearguard and left Paul Dickov with an empty net to shoot into.
MIDDLESBROUGH 0 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1 (Dickov 88)
Boro had five minutes to stay in the cup and nearly got an immediate equaliser as a ball came in from the right and Hail Massimo hit the inside of the post with a telling drive.
That was the moment that you knew that it was all over for us because it signified that our luck was out. But you make your own luck in this game and Boro just didn't try hard enough to make anything tonight. So much for going all out to win the cup.
Final Whistle 2156 - Report Online 2201
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