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MIDDLESBROUGH v WIGAN FULL TIME REPORT
A wave of positivity swept over the Riverside this afternoon as Mark Schwarzer warmed up in front of the North Stand. It felt as though things were looking up in a big way.
The greatest player in the universe, Stewart Downing was back, along with Gareth Southgate and Ray Parlour. It felt like a good day to start a massive fightback.
Jones, Pogatetz, Southgate, Riggott (Ehiogu 27), Bates (Johnson 31), Downing, Parlour, Cattermole, Parnaby, Viduka, Yakubu
Schwarzer, Doriva, Hasselbaink
THE FIRST HALF
Wigan gained a free-kick in the first twenty seconds that Jimmy Bullard sent crusing over the bar and Boro tried to hit back early. The counter attack was snuffed out though as Wigan's defence played the long ball into the path of Williams who found Jason Roberts with a pass that split the Boro back four. It was the worst possible start for Boro when Roberts slotted home.
MIDDLESBROUGH 0 WIGAN 1 (Roberts 2)
The crowd lifted the team as the bench sat stoney-faced and Mark Viduka should have been awarded a penalty a minute after the goal when he executed a brilliant piece of skill whilst on the attack, only to see it snuffed out when fouled by Chimbonda.
On four minutes, Mad-Dog Pogatetz collected a sublime cross from Stewey Downing and sent a fierce shot in that Pollitt did brilliantly well to save.
After ten minutes, the engine room battle between Bullard/Kavanagh and Parlour/Cattermole was starting to hot up but it was clear that we were being outrun down the right hand side. Still the crowd urged the Boro on as we looked to find a way back into the game.
After seventeen minutes, Boro could have found themselves three down as Jason Roberts had two excellent opportunities saved well by Brad Jones. In both cases, Boro's defence were made to look amateurish by Wigan playing along the flanks and drawing our central defenders wide. On both occasions, it was one ball that split the defence and it was fair to say that Wigan were starting to have a field day.
And with the Latics now totally in control of the game and passing the ball at leisure, the crowd started to show signs of frustration. Boro tried to compact things in defence but everything had now become a little more difficult as both Matthew Bates and Chris Riggott had sustained injuries in the earlier stages. Riggott was not able to continue and was replaced by Ugo Ehiogu on twenty-seven minutes.
Boro's rearranged defence was left in tatters a minute after the substitution as Pogatetz was beaten by Gary Teale who sent in a tasty cross which debutant David Thompson got on the end of and gave Brad Jones no chance.
MIDDLESBROUGH 0 WIGAN 2 (Thompson 29)
Boro looked ragged after the second game but despite this, we managed to forge an attack from somewhere and get the ball to Yakubu who couldn't quite finish a glorious opportunity to get back into a game that was slipping away from us.
Straight afterwards, Matthew Bates found himself unable to continue and was replaced by Adam Johnson.
Still encouraged by the support, Boro continued to try and attack but we were constantly being caught on the counter attack by a Wigan team who were making fools of us. It was a horror show and with six minutes to go until the break, you wouldn't have bet against Wigan bettering Arsenal's tally of last week.
There was a little more composure during the remaining minutes of the first half but all in all, Boro were lucky to be only two goals down as we had been completely and utterly over-ran in the furst half and looked nothing short of relegation fodder. The situation is, I'm afraid to say, very grave indeed.
FIRST HALF FAN REACTION
"Another shocker and it just can't go on..."
Jonnybad
"Is it possible that a team can play against it's own manager because it looks like that is what happening to me..."
Guts - VfB Stutgart supporter
THE SECOND HALF
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was introduced for the second half in place of Mark Viduka. That was all Boro's substitutions all used up and depending on the performance level in the second half, it may not be the last thing that is up today.
The half started in a scrappy way with Boro looking to create attacking moves from any opportunity but getting caught out on the counter yet again. The crowd held it's collective breath every time that Gary Teale collected on the right hand side as Boro had no chance in those situations. Situations that were happening far too often.
But any thoughts of a white-out were quickly dispelled when Stewey Downing won two corners in quick succession, The second one was floated in a perfectcly and Pollitt could only fist away into the path of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who put Boro right back into the game.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 WIGAN 2 (Hasselbaink 56)
Lifted by the Jimmy goal and with the crowd still right behind the team, Boro pushed on using Downing's pace as a spur to move on and achieve what had seemed nothing short of an impossiblity at half-time.
Downing had switched to the right wing by now to try and plug the gap - correction, canyon - that Wigan had so successfully exploited and as soon as the switch was made, Boro looked the better side.
Where the inspiration had come from, nobody could really say but it did come and the wind was taken right out of Wigan's sails as yet another Downing inspired move was the catalyst that swept the doom and gloom right away. Southgate won a throw-in and a cross was sent in to Yakubu who blasted home and gave Boro the beleif that they could actually go on and win this match.
MIDDLESBROUGH 2 WIGAN 2 (Yakubu 68)
Boro had Wigan on the rack now and those threatening counter attacks had been snuffed out, as well as the danger from the right hand side. Somehow and from somewhere, Boro had realised where their weak spots were and managed to plug them. It was an unbelievable performance in comparison to the disaster that the first half had been. Boro had completely turned it round and taken control of the game from an opposition who looked as though they were about to overwhelm us.
We had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the seventy-seventh minute when a mad scramble that resulted in three scuffed shots was ended when Yakubu put the ball wide. Wigan were rattled and on the roped and Boro were looking like they had the ammunition to finsh them off.
Stewart Downing had switched back to the left with just over ten minutes to play and what was especially worrying was that Ray Parlour was struggling badly with an ankle injury. Boro had of course no more substitutions left to make.
INTO THE RED ZONE
Once again unguarded on the right hand side, Boro's good work was almost undone when Chimbonda arrived on the blind side in time to collect a cross and he was unlucky to see his header land wide.
The game had now become very much tit-for-tat rather than end-to-end as Wigan, confidence restored, tried hard to get forward again and take all three points. But Boro weren't letting up for a moment as they went in search of their own dramatic late winner.
Boro had been superb in the second half and it felt like a travesty of justice when Wigan went on to grab an extremely late winner but after their first half performance, Paul Jewell's team would have probably been justified in saying the same if we had done likewise.
It was Chimbonda again who ghosted in and stole Boro's thunder by laying on Mellor and as the storm clouds gathered once again, the Riverside started to empty as a deflated Boro were left to dwell on what might have been.
MIDDLESBROUGH 2 WIGAN 3 (Mellor 90)
A game of two halves? You bet it was. Left half and right half and the big difference was Stewart Downing. What a shame he can't play on both sides at once as with our season now hanging by a thread, we need every straw that we can possibly clutch at.
FULL TIME FAN REACTION
"Last minute again. It's a complete joke..."
Luke S
"Garbage in the first half, really great in the second but yet again we blow it at the death. Something has to give here."
Mike Read
Final Whistle 1654 - Report Online 1658
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