FC SKODA XANTHI v MIDDLESBROUGH, UEFA CUP, 29th SEPTEMBER 2005

Jones, Mr T, Southgate, Riggott, Pogatetz, Morrison, Boateng, Queudrue, Doriva, Hasselbaink, Maccarone
Knight, Parnaby, Bates, Mendieta, Johnson, Nemeth, Yakubu

The atmosphere was tremendous in the tiny Xanthi Skoda stadium. Steve Mc played Franck Q out of position and brought back Doriva and Chris Riggott. Finger nails were being worn down to the bone.

THE FIRST HALF

Brad Jones and Chris Riggott got an early touch in a worrying opening minute. Xanthi were going for this from the off and a first minute De Souza Luciano twenty-yard strike nearly had the rookie keeper in trouble.

Riggott cleared the fumbled save and Boro had the first corner of the game a few minutes later as they sought to redress the balance.

We got the second corner as well, French Franck the midfielder doing well in beating his man and getting the cross in. JFH took the corners. We really are a multi-talented team.

Boro were playing positively but looked vulnerable, especially when Emerson had the ball. There was a concern that we were defending too deeply and with Xanthi needing at least one early goal to stay in the tie, they were obviously going to gamble.

An Emerson free-kick and a speculative Luciano strike from distance could have caused problems. Surely an attacking, keep-possession game was more in order?

After eighteen minutes, this could only be classed as a tight game with Xanthi clearly wanting it in a big way and Boro happy to sit back and try to thwart any attacks that the Greeks might be happen to muster.

It's a dangerous thing to do and probably not the best tactics that a manager under pressure could adopt. On twenty-six minutes, Emerson nearly made us pay for it when he took the ball inside from midfield and got his shot in.

Boro's best effort to date came from Hail Maccarone on the half hour. He collected from a JFH run and perhaps could have done better with the strike. But it was more promising than anything that had gone before.

JFH was starting to look lively now and a pot shot from thirty yards may have seen more success on a luckier day.

Boro had the ball in the bet on thirty-four minutes after a lovely move that saw James Morrison showing his class and playing JFH in for a good shot that was unfortunately ruled offside.

This was the most positive spell that Boro had played since Arsenal and the required effort and tempo was nearly there for all to see.

JFH was taken off corner duty after failing to beat the full-back on several occasions. French Franck the midfielder took over and did no better.

But to be fair, a draw will go a long towards restoring Boro's confidence tonight and
0-0 at half-tme is probably something that we would all have taken before kick-off.

Xanthi had attacked us in the first-half and Boro had soaked up all that they had thrown at us.

Perhaps a fair comment is that the understandable concerns that we had going into this game had been checked and we had shown that we are most certainly worthy of a place in the group stages.

All that was required now was for Boro not to blow it in the second half.

FIRST HALF FAN REACTION

"It ain't pretty but it will do because we're holding them off. A bit more positivity woud be better though. And it would sooth my nerves as well."
Boro_Dave

"Emerson is ripping us to bits and our passing is awful. Why can't we pass forward? The goal is that way lads!"
Dennis Sykes

THE SECOND HALF

Looking at the replays of Hail Maccarone's disallowed goal, it should have been given because he was not offside at all.

But these things even out over a season and it's no use dwelling on that. It was time to make up for it instead...

Boro gained two more corner-kicks in the first six minutes of the second half and made little of either. But we looked solid and very capable of holding off any Xanthi attacks in the first ten minutes of the second period.

Hail Massimo was starting to work well with JFH now and was unlucky not to open the scoring after a well worked move between the pair led to an opening that was snuffed out by the Xanthi defence.

Boro were playing a restraining game in the second half and although it was not attractive, it was working because we were containing a Xanthi side who were becoming increasingly desperate for a goal.

Brad Jones was booked in the seventy-third minute for sportingly delaying a free-kick as Xanthi attempted to make their third substitution of the night.

As the delay unsued, Boro made a double substitution with Yakubu replacing JFH and Hail Maccarone making way for The Lizard.

The second half was devoid of any meaningful action with fifteen minutes left to play. Boro were comfortable and it was enough to just play out time.

Stuart Parnaby replaced midfield dynamo French Franck on seventy-nine minutes. It is great to see Stuart back in action. A round of applause rang out for a local lad.

INTO THE RED ZONE

Luciano is a great player. He never gave up and was still trying with just minutes remaining and maybe his performance will make Boro's extensve scouting network take a closer look at him before the next transfer window opens.

Whatever criticism Steve McClaren has taken since Sunday's match, he deserves some credit for this result tonight. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't particularly exciting but we got the required result, despite a solid Emerson strike and a late Labriakos thunderbolt that nearly put our hearts in our mouths.

The game was played out by Boro holding fort on the backline and looking for the breakaway. We qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Cup and that will do. But compared to the Lazio game at The Riverside eleven months ago, it was like watching Darlington.

But it did go a long way towards restoring confidence in a previously beleaguered squad and a disillusioned support.

FULL TIME FAN REACTION

"It wasn't boring. It was professional"
Datsun

"Phew. We did it. Boring but a good result."
Lillibet M

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