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MIDDLESBROUGH 1 DERBY COUNTY 0 - MATCH REPORT
Barclays Premier League, Saturday 22nd March 2008, The Riverside
Andy Morgan
Robert Huth did not feature in the side that was sent out to play against basement side Derby County. He was replaced by Emmanuel Pogatetz in the centre of defence.
Pogi was to partner England international David Wheater whilst his left-back position was handed to Andrew Taylor. Luke Young made up the defending contingent.
Lee Cattermole partnered George Boateng in the midfield, with Shawky on the bench recovering from a toe injury. Gary O'Neil and Stewart Downing were on the right and left respectively.
Jeremie Aliadiere started his first home game since returning from his frivolous suspension. He was to partner Tuncay with Afonso Alves on the bench.
Schwarzer, Young (Shawky 64), Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor, O'Neil, Cattermole, Boateng, Downing, Aliadiere (Alves 86), Tuncay (Johnson 86), Turnbull, Grounds
THE FIRST HALF
The opening stages of the game were windy - in more ways than one. The wind was whipping around the Riverside and it was affecting the progression of the game. The play itself was poor, full of miscontrols and throw-ins.
Tuncay almost stole in in the fifth minute but Dean Leacock cleared. Thirty seconds later Boateng hit a diagonal ball over James McEveley's head. It found O'Neil who crossed the ball into the box and it deflected out for the corner.
Derby were Windy Miller from the corner and it was unfortunate that a Boro player couldn't steal in to sew the oats of another famous victory.
Downing then carried the ball beyond Andy Todd and crossed a strong ball into the box. It deflected off Robbie Savage and almost into the goal. Downing took the corner left-footed and it was headed over the bar by Darren Moore defending.
From the second corner, Tuncay powered a header towards Roy Carroll's goal and he scrambled the clearance before Wheater could toe-poke it beyond him. From the next corner, nothing resulted.
Derby's first chance came on fourteen when McEveley darted into the box and almost set up Miller, causing panic in the Boro defence. The Boro eventually cleared but it was scarier than a Hallowe'en costume in a mental asylum.
There was less happening in this game than the average episode of Scooby Doo as the game was descending into a stop start affair. Indeed it was like the A19 after some twonk decides to crash his car into a lamppost in the middle of rush hour. Except the traffic jam would be far more interesting as you could listen to Terry Wogan on Radio Two.
From a free kick, O'Neil chipped the ball into the box and Tuncay was fed by a Derby player. The Turk forced a strong save from Carroll but the referee blew up, which was inconvenient all round.
On twenty Robbie Savage nicked the ball off Aliadiere's toe before he could unleash a shot. Before this, there had been some nice build up play between Downing and Boateng.
A minute later Derby read the one-two that Downing was trying with Aliadiere on the edge of the area. Derby conceded a corner, O'Neil took it, Carroll punched it away and the Rams broke.
Then Paul Jewell broke down as they promptly lost it again. Less like the Rams more like the Clams.
On twenty-five Downing crossed the ball and Cattermole fell over, allowing Derby to clear their lines. It was the result of some more patient build-up from the Boro but they just lacked that cutting edge that would allow them to unlock the Derby defence.
Derby's defending was getting deeper, allowing the Boro's play-makers more space. On twenty-seven Pogatetz received a flick-on from a Boro free-kick and Carroll sprinted off his line to clear before Tuncay could latch on to it.
A minute later a Schwarzer hoof went over the Derby defence and Leacock was forced into conceding the corner. Derby struggled to clear and Cattermole had a shot that flashed wide under pressure from County defenders.
The game was everything you would expect of it - bloody rubbish. The Boro were dominating but were creating very little that was clear-cut. The fans were still hopeful of getting that vital victory though.
And they were right to be hopeful. On thirty-two Downing passed to Boateng on the left hand side of the pitch. He flicked the ball through Darren Moore's legs and on to Tuncay. Instead of curling the ball beyond Carroll, he checked back, outfoxed the Derby keeper and scored the opening goal of the game from eighteen yards out.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Tuncay, 32) DERBY COUNTY 0
An Andrew Taylor slip almost let Derby in but the flag went up almost immediately. Before that, Pogatetz went to ground under the challenge of Leacock. Replays showed that he should have had a penalty as the Derby man was pulling on the Austrian's shirt.
Leacock was tenacious in defence, clearing a Downing ball on thirty-six. He only managed to clear it to Boateng but the Boat could do little with it and the Boro were forced into regrouping.
On thirty-nine had Tuncay been able to knock the ball beyond Leacock, the Boro would have had three against two but the defender got a touch on the ball and the chance was spurned. At the other end McEveley buried the ball beyond Schwarzer but the flag was up for offside long before he struck.
Downing took a dreadful free kick on forty-one that went straight out into touch. It was disappointing and the less said about it the better.
On forty-three O'Neil appealed to the referee after a Leacock handball in the penalty area. Martin Atkinson was having none of it.
At the other end Kenny Miller handled the ball after it came off his thigh. His shot went well wide though so it hardly mattered.
The Boro fans were urging a second goal before halftime in order to kill the game off. It didn't look like coming though as the game had once again settled into the tepid yawnfest that it had been earlier.
There was four minutes of added time after a library of stoppages had lengthened the game. This meant that we expected it to finish sometime next Thursday. Or at least that's what it was feeling like.
Aliadiere went down under pressure from Andy Todd but Downing played on. Boateng tried the shot from the edge of the area and McEveley managed the clearance. The crowd booed the lack of a penalty award for the foul on Aliadiere.
In the final seconds, Tuncay had a shot that flashed narrowly wide after some good build-up play. This was the last action of the half.
THE SECOND HALF
Aliadiere had the first shot of the second half within twenty-five seconds. It shocked Carroll and he had to save with his legs as the Frenchman struck from twelve yards out.
The ball was swept to the other end of the pitch and Miller put the ball into the box, forcing Taylor into conceding the corner. The Boro cleared this.
The Boro had a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, which should have been a penalty as McEveley's challenge on O'Neil was inside the box. From O'Neil's clip, Aliadiere flicked the ball on but he could not get enough of his head around it. It flashed wide when he should have scored.
The Boro came back at Derby and McEveley put in a desperate challenge in order to clear the Rams' lines.
On fifty-three Aliadiere passed to O'Neil, who tried the shot. It was blocked.
From this, a great ball was launched into the box by Downing and on the back post, McEveley kindly headed it back into the danger zone. The ball fell to Boateng who turned and shot on the volley. Carroll saved, conceding a corner from which nothing resulted.
The wind had abated at this stage and this allowed Boro to play their more creative game. This meant they were pressurising the Rams more, who were hanging on desperately.
Wheater shot wide on fifty-eight after Savage had cynically brought down Tuncay, conceding a free kick and getting a booking in the process.
Derby won their second corner on sixty-one after the ball bounced off Boateng's back and out of play. It was headed clear by Tuncay but it went straight to Eddie Lewis. He crossed the ball, Emanuel Villa headed over the bar and the Boro could regroup.
On sixty-four Luke Young was substituted for Mohamed Shawky. George Boateng went to left back and Shawky slotted into the centre of midfield.
The snow was swirling around the Riverside by this stage, causing all of the Easter bunnies to die of frostbite. Happy Easter folks! On sixty-five O'Neil passed to Tuncay who crossed into the area. Andy Todd was there and he cleared it. Tuncay should have passed to Aliadiere as he could have been on a one against one situation with Carroll.
On seventy a good flowing move ended in Cattermole passing to Aliadiere. His pace took him beyond Darren Moore and his rasping shot was saved by Carroll.
Boro won their eighth corner of the match after Leacock headed a Boateng cross into touch. Wheater tried to connect with O'Neil's set-piece but he couldn't.
Neither side could construct a good move in the next ten minutes as everything was breaking down before it got the chance to leave the midfield.
On eighty-two O'Neil clipped the ball back into the box and Aliadiere got his header all wrong. It dropped comfortably wide.
Two minutes later Eddie Lewis got his head on the ball and dinked it to Andy Todd. The former Boro man pulled the ball back for Robbie Earnshaw who missed an open goal from five yards out. It was worrying how the visitors were cutting through the Boro midfield so easily. They clearly sensed that they could get something out of the game.
After this, Southgate made his final two substitutions of the day. Afonso Alves replaced Aliadiere and Adam Johnson came on for Tuncay.
On eighty-seven Boro won a corner and Alves nearly scored from O'Neil's kick.
From this, Derby broke and at one stage they had a three on two situation. Kenny Miller was caught in two minds and opted to go it alone when he should have passed to Robbie Earnshaw who was completely free. Miller's shot was weak and Schwarzer saved.
Derby were streaming forward as stoppage time was entered. They had nothing to lose and the Boro had to be careful they did not concede, particularly with the way other results were looking.
Ultimately, however, the Boro hung on to claim the three points. It was a crucial triad when it is considered that the Boro have Chelsea and Manchester United ahead of them.
However the performance was far from convincing and with other results going against the Boro too, Middlesbrough aren't out of this relegation battle just yet.
Man of the Match: George Boateng. Hassled, harried and almost scored with a wonderful volley. He has returned to form.
FAN REACTION
"For the first time this season I'm confident about us staying up."
Windsor Boro
"A win at home, I can't believe it."
DEENO
BACK TO BORO v DERBY MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
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