BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX © All written site content is copyright ComeOnBoro.com 2004-2007, unless otherwise stated, and is not to be used without prior permission.	MIDDLESBROUGH 3 FULHAM 1, FA Premier League, Sunday 13th May 2007 Middlesbrough went into this meaningless last game of the season with little to play for but Premiership prize money. With Fulham already safe there was a carnival atmosphere at the Riverside. Boro played a 4-4-2 formation with Korean Dong-Gook Lee being given a rare start in place of Yakubu. Mark Viduka, who has been the subject of transfer speculation over the last week, partnered Lee. Emmanuel Pogatetz was shifted to the right in the favour of David Wheater who partnered Jonathan Woodgate at the heart of defence. Andrew Davies was on the left. Fabio Rochemback partnered George Boateng in the centre of midfield, with Stewart Downing on the left and Julio Arca on the right. What was interesting was that both James Morrison and Andrew Johnson, more natural right wingers, were on the bench behind Arca. Schwarzer, Davies, Woodgate, Wheater, Pogatetz, Downing, Boateng (Morrison 67), Rochemback, Arca, Lee (Yakubu 67), Viduka (Johnson 90), Jones, Euell THE FIRST HALF The first move of the game came from Fulham, who tore through Middlesbrough's right hand side like an overzealous taxidermist with a particular disliking for owls (or any other such animals he's giving the Paxo treatment to). Bryan McBride was the Boro's saviour however, missing a sitter in the penalty area. The fifth minute heralded Boro's first corner of the game after it was their turn to tear Boro apart. Nothing came from the corner but a Downing cross fell to Wheater who, not expecting to receive the ball, fluffed his header. The ball broke to Arca who slashed his shot wider than an abdominal tear in the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Emmanuel Pogatetz failed to time his run correctly on seven, resulting in a Fabio Rochemback free-kick falling behind him. A corner was conceded by Fulham from which Lee launched an instinctive volley that Antti Niemi saved expertly. Another corner ensued, along with another Boro attack and another fine save from the Fulham shot-stopper. This time a header from Davies was saved. On eleven Boro had another flowing move - Boateng drifted inside to connect with a Viduka back-heel before laying the ball to Downing. Going wide, the England left-winger tried a shot that went narrowly wide. The Boro were getting closer. Five minutes later Lee received a great ball from Pogatetz and controlled the ball adroitly. His shot from twelve yards out however was poor as he blasted the ball over the bar. On seventeen the players were queuing up - and not for a disappointing parmo squashed into a cardboard box with skimpy salad and limp fries all coated with synthetic ejaculate (that will probably be for tomorrow) - but to score a goal. Arca missed Pogatetz's cross, as did Downing and the ball went harmlessly wide. On twenty five Mark Page played wedding music as all the Fulham fans started singing "Here comes McBride, Here comes McBride" but like a cuckolded filly at the alter - nothing was ever really going to happen and Andrew Davies cleared the danger. Boro were plugging away more than a manufacturer of plugs and wall sockets as another Downing cross went begging. This time it was Julio Arca who blazed a header over the bar before donning a whimple and joining a nunnery in the hope of repentance. The self-flagellation will start next week. On thirty-three Boro's pressure finally paid dividends. Mark Viduka received the ball on the eighteen yard box after some excellent work from Jonathan Woodgate. The Australian shimmied around the Fulham back-line and launched a ferocious shot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. Boro had the lead they deserved. MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Viduka, 33) FULHAM 0 The Boro were still dominating proceedings and it was a wonder how Boro were only one to the good. Which made Fulham's equaliser all that more frustrating - particularly as it was a Boro mistake that undid us. A long ball hoofed downfield was headed back by Wheater but his header was too short. Fulham's Simon Davies saw his opportunity and stuck it past Schwarzer. It was the equaliser Fulham barely deserved. MIDDLESBROUGH 1 FULHAM 1 (Davies, 41) Boro reacted tepidly but on forty-five a good diagonal run from Lee was fed by Mark Viduka's perfectly weighted ball. The angle was tight and Lee wasn't up to it, blasting wide. Two minutes later Downing played the ball into Rochemback who took a touch with his right and forced another strong save out of Niemi. From the corner Wheater made amends for his earlier mistake. The Boro youngster connected cleanly with Rochemback's corner, powering his header beyond the despairing Niemi. On the stroke of halftime the Boro were once more in the lead. It was no less than what they deserved. MIDDLESBROUGH 2 (Wheater, 45) FULHAM 1 And with that the whistle blew. THE SECOND HALF What took Boro thrity-three minutes in the first half took them only one in the second. Dong Gook Lee played the ball into Viduka who, with his back to goal, turned past three Fulham defenders and made no mistake, lashing the ball into the back of the net. It was turning into a good final day for the home side. Viduka celebrated to the chants of "Sign him on, Sign him on" from the crowd - probably having something to do with Viduka's British Sign Language course that he intends to take in September. From the Fulham end however there was probably some rather ripe British Sign Language going on. MIDDLESBROUGH 3 (Viduka, 46) FULHAM 1 The return of Franck Queudrue was heralded in the forty-ninth minute as Lawrie Sanchez decided to shake up his backline with a sexy side-step. The Frenchman came on to a standing ovation from the home crowd - another, more palatable action of Sign Language being demonstrated here. Fulham were having strong currents of attack around fifty-five - with Maurice Volz being behind the majority of Fulham's power-play. Fulham were not up to Boro's defence however - for all of Fulham's building the Boro had built a strong backline with tanks and barbed wire and turrets and stuff entrenched on the edge of their own eighteen yard box. On fifty-nine Boro had a strong passage of play - with Boateng passing to Viduka who, on a hat-trick, unselfishly tried to set up Lee. He bundled his player however and the chance went begging. Boro were making pretty patterns with their movement in midfield - it was like an etch-a-sketch without that toxic silver stuff and those two twiddly knobs. In similarity however, hours of fun was ensuing as the Boro fans were eagerly anticipating Boro's "Lap of Honour" for a season where they finished lower mid-table and got knocked out of both Cup competitions. On sixty-seven Yakubu replaced Lee and George Boateng was replaced with James Morrison. Lee got a standing ovation for a performance of fine blasting the ball wide or over the bar but to be fair to the Korean his movement had been strong and it will only be a matter of time before he breaks his duck. On seventy Mark Viduka did what he does best - split the Fulham defence. A ball from Downing was fed into the Australian who narrowly avoided scoring by hitting his shot slightly too high. He was getting closer and closer to attaining his hat-trick. A minute later it was Fulham's turn to threaten - through Collins John. Andrew Davies saved a rather wobbly Boro backline by conceding a corner. This allowed the Boro to regain their defensive composure although it did take three headed clearances from David Wheater to relieve the pressure. Indeed Wheater always headed to Yakubu who then lost the ball to Fulham, who then crossed the ball into the Boro box only to be cleared by Wheater to Yakubu. It was like Groundhog Day with Boro players. On seventy-four Boro should have had their fourth after Yakubu was incorrectly adjudged to be offside. He had buried the ball beyond Niemi but the assistant flagged the Nigerian off when he was level. On eighty-two Mark Viduka spurned the chance to get his first hat-trick for the Boro. What required a simple side-foot was complicated by shimmies, which allowed Niemi to save. Rochemback could not covert the rebound. On eighty-five a right-footed shot from McBride went wide. The crowd mockingly cheered. Jonathan Woodgate bombed up the middle of the park in the final minute but the ball did not fall to him after Yakubu took a shot that went wide. Shortly afterwards Mark Viduka was hailed by the fans in a standing ovation as he was replaced by Andrew Johnson. And that was that. The game and the season drew to a conclusion with a convincing win. This means that Southgate has emulated Steve McClaren's record last season - at least in the League where this season's 46 points is one better than that picked up last season. Now all that needs to be done is for Southgate so stamp his own image on the team. The close season will be an interesting one. SEND THIS TO A FRIEND BACK TO FULHAM MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
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