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PRESTON v MIDDLESBROUGH, FA CUP FIFTH ROUND, 19-2-06
FULL-TIME MATCH REPORT
The FA Cup presents Boro with a great chance to rescue the season and after three consecutive wins in three different competitions, confidence should have been high today.
Steve McClaren made three changes to the team that beat Stuttgart on Thursday but kept the same 4-5-1 formation. Franck Queudrue and Tony McMahon were both named in the starting lineup and Chris Riggott was named as captain with Gareth Southgate left on the bench.
Schwarzer, McMahon, Queudrue, Riggott, Mad Dog, Parnaby, Boateng, Mendieta, Rochemback (Cattermole 45), Downing, Yakubu
Jones, Southgate, Taylor, Hasselbaink
THE FIRST HALF
Boro nearly had an early scare when Skippy crashed into the goalpost after two minutes but he was fine and didn't require treatment. A minute later Dave Nugent went on a blinding run down the left and got a great cross in that Skippy saved well.
Preston had made a very high tempo start and penned Boro back in their own half for all of the first eight minutes. Yakubu was caught on the side of the head as Boro made their first tentative attack but he waived the offer of treatment and carried on regardless.
Skippy was forced into action again on fourteen minutes when he acrobatically saved a corner. After fifteen minutes, Boro's five man midfield were clearly being over-run by Preston and Carlo Nash had not had a single save to make.
Boro were not in it at all after twenty-five minutes and almost conceded when Paul McKenna had a free header from six yards that he should have done better with. It exposed Boro's defence and as Preston continued to push forward, Boro started to look increasingly fragile.
Another problem with Boro's play today was they were giving away far too many free-kicks in the midfield area and although Preston had not yet taken advantage of them, it was something that we really needed to tighten up on.
But the main reason for Preston's dominance so far was simply down to work-rate, or lack of it in Boro's case. The half-hour mark came and went with Boro having only had one attempt at an attack. That was rectified a minute later as Stewey Downing surged forward and won a free-kick which Nash easily held.
On thirty-two minutes, Boro had another scare when O'Neil took the ball into a scoring position but was magnificently dispossessed by Chris Riggott. It was a tackle befitting of a captain and it kept us in the game.
Deep into first-half injury time, Fabio Rochemback went down with what looked like a serious injury and was stretchered off and replaced by Lee Cattermole. It is to be hoped that it is not as bad as it first looked but clearly the player was in some pain.
The 4-5-1 formation had not worked at all today as Preston had stifled everything that we had tried to do, which was minimal at best anyway. Boro would be needing more than an improvement in the second half if we are to stay in the cup. On this performance, even a replay looked unlikely.
FIRST HALF FAN REACTION
"If we can't improve against these, it doesn't bode well for West Brom or Birmingham."
John Hickton
"We can't pass the ball to our own players at all today."
Dessie
THE SECOND HALF
Boro made changes for the second half switching to 4-4-2 with Tony McMahon coming off and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink joining Yakubu up front. Mendieta was switched to the right side of midfield.
Preston won two corners in quick succesion in the early stages of the half, the second in particular looking very dangerous but Boro upped the tempo and immediately looked better with the new formation.
Our very first strike on target led to the first goal of the game when Hasselbaink and Yakubu combined well in a move that ended with Yakubu making an absolutely brilliant strike that gave Carlo Nash no chance. It was against the run of play when the first half performance was taken into account but Steve McClaren's tactical changes had paid immediate dividends as Boro finally showed Premiership class.
PRESTON NORTH END 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Yakubu 51)
Preston tried hard to get back into it and almost did when Nugent took a twenty-five yard strike that had Skippy beaten. Luckily it was off target but it was a sign that Preston were going to fight to the death.
It was Nugent again who almost pulled one back for the home side as he took another long distance strike on the hour mark which once again had Skippy beaten. He did get a fingertip to it though and managed to send it just over the bar.
Nugent was playing out of his skin now and forced the save of the day from Skippy on sixty-five minutes when he crashed in an explosive shot that looked goalbound all the way. Boro have a lot to thank Skippy for today.
Preston must have been wondering how they were behind after all their possession and scoring opportunities and they made a double substitution on seventy minutes, Dichio and Neal replacing O'Neil and Sedgwick respectively.
The introduction of Danny Dichio was looking like it was going to cause problems for Boro as he made himself immediately busy and started winning everything in midfield. Boro did well to hold him off and even threatened to create forward moved of our own as time wore on and Boro hung on.
Nugent had an excellent chance on seventy-six minutes when he took the ball off a hesitant George Boateng and forced yet another save from Skippy. It was a cue for Boro to pull themselves back together and an attack was straight away forthcoming. Boro won a free-kick thirty yards out and as the shot went in, Yakubu took a run on the blind side and picked up the rebound which Nash had failed to hold and smashed home his and Boro's second.
PRESTON NORTH END 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 2 (Yakubu 76)
You had to feel a little for Preston as they certainly did not deserve to be two goals down but credit to the Boro who despite not producing a good performance were on track to be the first to beat Preston in twenty-six matches. All credit to Steve McClaren for making the tactical switches at half-time.
Preston were rattled now as their spirits dropped and Boro finally took control of play.
INTO THE RED ZONE
Unbelievably, Yakubu was taken off for Gareth Southgate with nine minutes to go. The substitution was greeted with loud booing from the Boro crowd. To be fair, it was very difficult to see the logic in the change.
With Jimmy left up front on his own now and Boro reverting to their third formation of the day - 5-4-1 - it was all down to killing time now which Boro did by playing keep-ball.
Two minutes of stoppage time were added on as Boro headed towards the FA Cup sixth round for the first time since 2002. You get the feeling that it could be our year as to produce a result like today's with a performance like that signifies that your luck is in. Long may it continue.
FULL-TIME FAN REACTION
"We're in the hat for the next round and on our way to Wembley. It wasn't pretty but we did the job and that's what matters.
Mike Read
Final Whistle: 1555 - Report Online: 1602
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