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 1 NEWCASTLE 0, Premier League, Sunday 22nd October 2006 Buoyed by last Saturday's win against Everton, the Boro went into this game scenting the blood of their bitter local rivals. The impressive Robert Huth, who had made an impressive Premiership debut against the Toffees, was dropped in favour of a central defensive partnership of Jonathan Woodgate and Emmanuel Pogatetz. Woodgate started against his former club after returning from a leg injury that saw him miss last week's game. He was not captain against Newcastle however, with that honour going to George Boateng. Apart from the changes in defence the team was unchanged from that which was so impressive last week. This meant Lee Cattermole was once more on the right hand side of midfield and Mark Viduka partnered Yakubu in a two-pronged attack. Schwarzer, Davies (Huth 45), Woodgate, Pogatetz, Taylor, Cattermole, Euell (Maccarone 77), Boateng, Downing, Yakubu, Viduka (Rochemback 45), Turnbull, Arca THE FIRST HALF There was an early scare for Boro in the opening minute when a long-ball over the top deceived Emmanuel Pogatetz allowing Obafemi Martins to get in. The Austrian fouled the Newcastle forward but the referee blew the other way, gifting the Boro a free-kick. The Boro struck back however but Stewart Downing's poor shot was a waste, particularly when he was surrounded by Jason Euell, Mark Viduka and Yakubu. On five a cross from Downing, which had resulted from a clever one-two between Downing and Andrew Taylor, was fizzed with venom into the box. Lee Cattermole got his head on it but he was unable to control his effort, which went harmlessly wide. This was encouraging from Boro however who had started to break down the porous Newcastle backline. At the other end however Martins was playing like a man with a point to prove and forced Pogatetz to concede the first corner of the day. The corner was delivered poorly but from the rebound Damien Duff played a penetrative ball into Martins, who cleverly dummied it. This allowed the ball to run to Antoine Sibierski who forced a save from Mark Schwarzer. It was a significant scare for the home side and showed exactly why the Boro backline had to get a hold on Martins before he caused some serious damage. The game was end to end at this point but Newcastle were far more incisive where it mattered. The problem stemmed from the Boro midfield which was not combative enough. This allowed Newcastle to get the ball wide and to stroke it about at their leisure. The main problem was how deep the defence was playing. Scared of Martins' pace, this gave Sibierski more space in midfield. This was demonstrated on thirteen when Sibierski played it through to Martins who found himself one-on-one with Schwarzer. Martins chipped it over the onrushing keeper but thankfully hit the bar, with the ball rebounding straight into the Aussie's grateful arms. The defence should have done better, with Woodgate in particular at fault for not clearing it. Boro's shape was non-existent with Martins' ability to get the blind side of defenders exposing considerable weaknesses in Boro's backline. The further up the field the Boro came the better they were, with Lee Cattermole's scintillating run only narrowly missing its intended target. Newcastle however picked up the ball and pushed it forward once more. We were in danger of making a poor side look good particularly when it came to the speed and fluidity of their moves which were as potent as those in a Jackie Chan movie. In contrast the Boro were as smooth as a tramp over-dosed on meths and about as neat as well. On twenty however Andrew Davies won a tackle in midfield and passed it to Downing. He ran on and blasted the ball from twenty-five yards, forcing a powerful save from Stephen Harper, who tipped it around the left-hand post. Jason Euell blasted a shot from eighteen yards as a result of this corner. The ball deflected wickedly and another corner was conceded but nothing was gained from this. On twenty-five a great delivery from Downing found Davies in the box who out-jumped Stephen Carr. The shot was wide but was an example of the increasingly sustained pressure that the Boro were administering. Newcastle meanwhile had been somewhat quieter and were happy to soak up the Boro attacks. On thirty Shola Ameobi came on for the impressive Sibierski who was forced to leave the field of play with an injury. This was somewhat of a relief for Boro fans as he was causing significant problems for the Boro back-four. Boro's response was an incisive attack which was led by Downing. A good ball by Taylor was knocked to Yakubu. He cushioned it to Euell who blasted the ball towards goal but his shot went narrowly wide. He was getting closer and closer to scoring his first goal in a Boro shirt and with that duck broken the hope of the Boro fans is that he would become prolific. The Boro were becoming more threatening, with Downing, Yakubu and Euell combining once more. Yakubu eventually laid the ball to the former Charlton man who once more blasted a shot towards goal. This cannoned into Harper's midriff. On thirty-five Jonathan Woodgate conceded a free-kick on Shola Ameobi. James Milner's resulting ball was dangerous but it was expertly punched clear by Schwarzer. Three minutes later intricate play released Ameobi who decided to side-foot it from thirty yards out. The save by Schwarzer can only be described as comfortable. Very little happened in the final ten minutes of the half - it was like watching the average episode of Heartbeat. The crowd were becoming restless as both sides cancelled each other out. A James Milner run drifted past three Boro players and it took a strong Pogatetz challenge to thwart him. That was the highlight of a very tepid end to the half. THE SECOND HALF Middlesbrough made a double substitution at half-time, with Robert Huth coming on to form a 3-5-2 wing-back system. Southgate's aim was clearly to bolster the defence after Martins had ghosted past it far too easily in the first half. Huth replaced Andrew Taylor whilst Mark Viduka was replaced by Fabio Rochemback. This pushed Jason Euell further forward, playing just behind Yakubu in the new system. This added a renewed energy to the Boro, with Yakubu having a dangerous long-range shot a mere seven seconds after the restart. A minute later desperate Newcastle defending resulted in a Boro corner which was whipped in by Downing. This was threatening and the ball hit the post but the whistle had already blown by then for a foul on Harper. On forty-nine Downing launched yet another magnificent ball into the box which demanded a strong save from the in-form Harper. He turned it on to the post, conceding a corner but nothing came from this advantage. The ever-threatening Martins once more launched a foray into Boro territory on fifty-four but Lee Cattermole was up to the challenge. The Geordies came back however as the balance of play switched back in favour of the away side. At the other end Boro's lack of gambling spirit in the box was the major reason why Boro's attack was failing. A Jason Euell/Stewart Downing inspired hunt broke down when there was no one in the box waiting for the ball. This allowed Newcastle to clear easily and they started to put the home team under pressure. The Boro were slower than a particularly arthritic tortoise with bronchitis at this stage as the match once more descended into an intriguing game of attrition. Newcastle kept the majority of the possession and were happy to knock it around the midfield and play patiently. The Boro meanwhile didn't seem to be doing that much, being limited to the odd foray into opposing territory, only for it to break down in the final third. On sixty-one a great ball through by Cattermole forced strong defending from Paul Ramage, conceding a corner. Yet the advantage quickly switched with a Newcastle counter-attack that resulted in a three on three situation in the Boro box. Damien Duff made some space for himself by getting in-between two Boro defenders but in switching his shooting foot, he could only scuff the shot allowing Schwarzer to gather comfortably. On sixty-three Yakubu found Cattermole who passed it to Euell who was at an acute angle. He opted to blast it rather than place it and his rushed effort harmlessly went wide. There was a case for him passing to Downing, who was in a better position in the box but with the predatory instinct it is understandable why Euell fancied it for himself. Cattermole and Downing were providing the balls but unfortunately no one was willing to take a risk and dart into the box. This meant that many a good ball was being wasted, allowing Newcastle to construct attack after attack that the Boro defence had to deal with. The Boro were starting to be limited to shots from distance, a Yakubu punt showing the lack of belief in the Boro side. All that was needed was more composure and a striking instinct and the three points could be Middlesbrough's. Newcastle were still threatening however with a Scott Parker run teeing up Milner who missed a sitter. He didn't even hit the target when he really should have. This was worrying for the Boro who were not dealing with the pace or the movement of the Newcastle attack. In fact the Boro defence was frightened of the Geordies' fluidity, particularly that from Parker and Martins and it as this that was contributing to the general uncertainty in the backline. George Boateng put the ball in from the right-hand side on seventy-two and the ball dropped to Euell. From the edge of the penalty area, he blasted it over the bar once more leading the fans to question whether his first goal for the Boro would ever come. On seventy-seven Southgate made his last play substituting the impressive but goalless Euell with Massimo Maccarone. The Italian fitted straight into Euell's position just behind Yakubu in attack. On seventy-nine some impressive Yakubu skill laid the ball on a plate to Rochemback who really should have scored. He mis-struck his shot into the pitch allowing Stephen Taylor to get back on to his line and clear the danger from underneath his own crossbar. If only he had hit it cleaner and with more power. INTO THE RED ZONE On eighty-five Downing's threatening crosses finally paid dividends when the ball was whipped into the box from a corner and Yakubu rose above the Newcastle defence to power a header into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Perhaps there was too much space in the Newcastle backline but the Boro fans didn't care as they had got the decisive advantage. Middlesbrough 1 (Yakubu 85) Newcastle 0 On eighty-seven Newcastle played their final move, substituting the impressive Milner for N'Zogbia, a striker for a midfielder. The Boro however had the bit between their teeth and were coming at Newcastle from all angles. However it was a game of keep ball at this stage as they tried to hang on to the slenderest of leads. Newcastle weren't finished yet as Ameobi was determined to have the final say. Yet Woodgate had a point to prove and was equally determined to snuff him out. This led Stewart Downing into a battle that ended in him launching a shot at Harper that rebounded off the post. Newcastle broke and Middlesbrough countered as Yakubu launched deep into Newcastle territory to the impatient whistles of the Boro faithful. And those whistles were soon answered and the Boro had picked up more points in their last two games than they had in their previous seven. The performance may not have been overly convincing but Boro got the luck today. Downing was in imperious form, proving all of his critics wrong. In honesty the game could have gone either way but this should now provide a perfect springboard for bigger and better things. Confidence will be sky high and it's deeply satisfying to get one over our local rivals, and push them further towards the relegation zone in the process. It may be a bit premature to be talking about Europe but now that seems a distinct possibility rather than an impossible dream. FULL TIME FAN REACTION "The suit is working" Deeno "Need a parmo - gonna have a GREAT week now" Boro1876 SEND THIS TO A FRIEND BACK TO NEWCASTLE MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
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