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MIDDLESBROUGH 0 READING 1 - MATCH REPORT
Barclays Premier League, Saturday 1st March 2008, The Riverside
Andy Morgan
David Wheater returned to the defence after missing the mid-week defeat of Sheffield United in the FA Cup. He replaced Seb Hines at centre back.
Jonathan Grounds retained his place on the left, with Emmanuel Pogatetz moving inside to accommodate. Luke Young took up his usual right-back berth.
Up front, Afonso Alves made his first league start. He was to partner Tuncay after the Turk impressed on Wednesday night. Mido made way.
Fabio Rochemback was dropped from the midfield meaning that George Boateng partnered captain Julio Arca. Gary O'Neil and Stewart Downing were on the right and left respectively.
Schwarzer, Young, Wheater, Pogatetz, Grounds, O'Neil, Boateng (Johnson 73), Arca (Cattermole 59), Downing, Alves (Mido 68), Tuncay, Jones, Hines
THE FIRST HALF
Alves was almost in on goal on two minutes after the long ball defeated the Reading defence. Marcus Hahnemann's clearance was far from convincing as he took his eye off the ball.
Thirty seconds later a Downing free-kick was whipped into the box but it was cleared by a rather shaky Royals defence.
Shane Long had a chance on five but Pogatetz managed to nip in and steal the ball from him. The Boro broke from his through Tuncay and he dinked the ball into O'Neil. Nicky Shorey covered and saved the day for Reading.
The game was end-to-end but the shots that were coming in were more timid than a mouse with bladder weakness.
On seven a good ball came in from the Reading right and six yards out, Long rose like a stud in the Playboy mansion but merely powered his header over the bar.
The first corner of the game was conceded on eight. Tuncay crossed the ball from the right and Alves' sloppy touch fell to Arca. His shot was deflected and went behind the by-line, setting up the set-play.
From the corner, Pogatetz had a free header but he nodded it to the side rather than directly towards goal. The loose ball was blasted in from Downing and another corner was conceded, from which nothing came.
On eleven Reading had a convoluted attack which led to the ball falling to Hunt. Pogatetz cleared.
On sixteen Hahnemann's punt downfield was cleared by Pogatetz but it was done meekly. The ball found its way to Nicky Shorey who blasted his shot high from inside the penalty area. Had he taken another touch, the Boro may have been in trouble.
Downing's attacking prowess on nineteen led to a corner after his shot-cum-cross was deflected out of play. O'Neil put it in, Hahnemann misjudged it and he ended up having to punch it from under his crossbar. He was shakier than my strawberry jelly was in last Tuesday night's earthquake.
O'Neil crossed the ball to Downing from the right who dinked a header back into the box. Alves was too far out for his attempt to cause problems so he set up Arca who blasted the ball out for a corner.
Hahnemann flapped more than Big Bird in the mating season but he somehow managed to clear the set-piece.
Boro's cup hangover was very much like mine. Except mine had more spirit in it. Indeed the Boro were flatter than my vodka and coke was this morning and that made it far, far less palatable all round.
Downing tested Hahnemann from distance on twenty-three but he comfortably caught, as if the ball was one of his eggs.
Alves found Downing on twenty-six but he didn't get the strike on the ball he was after. This meant Hahnemann's save was easy but it was a good sign of attacking intent from the home side.
A minute later Tuncay found Young with a great piece of play. He switched the ball from right to left, passing to Downing. The winger's cross was feral and Liam Rosenior nearly scored an own goal. Thankfully for him, he only conceded the corner.
O'Neil's set piece was strong but it was headed out for a throw-in.
On twenty-eight a series of backheels set up Luke Young. He dropped his shoulder and put Ivar Ingimarsson under pressure by darting into the box. There was minimal contact but Young opted not to go down. In the end, Reading were awarded a goal kick after the assistant had initially flagged for a corner.
Downing couldn't capitalise on a Reading defensive mistake after Hahnemann came off his line quicker than a thirty stone tightrope walker. To be fair to the Reading keeper, he pushed the England winger further wide so that when his cross came in, he could only find Nicky Shorey rather than Alves or Tuncay.
On thirty-one Shorey had the ball in the back of the Boro net but for a blatant foul by Andre Bikey on Schwarzer, it was correctly ruled out.
On thirty-five Shorey got a cross in but Stephen Hunt could not reach it. This was a sign that Reading were starting to believe in themselves as they started to take the game to the Boro.
A minute later Hunt aimed for Bikey whose header was comfortably collected by Schwarzer. It was a sign of attacking intent from Reading, who now found themselves on the front foot.
On forty Rosenior cleverly defended against Downing after he correctly read that he wasn't going to take a left foot shot.
A minute later Luke Young managed to wrap his foot around the ball before it went out. He crossed it in and the ball almost fell to Tuncay, before Hahnemann's intervention.
After this, some good feet from Alves flummoxed Rosenior, who comitted a foul on the edge of the Reading area. He got booked for his troubles. Alves struck the ball sweetly but it was a little too central, which allowed Hahnemann to save.
The half had been scrappy and Boro's lack of invention had invited Reading back into the game. They came to the Riverside low on confidence and the home side had aided in building it for them. More urgency was needed from Boro in the second half.
THE SECOND HALF
The second forty-five started in the same flat style that the first half did. The crowd were bemused, silent on their pies as both sides cancelled each other out in one of the most boring games imaginable.
On forty-nine Tuncay found himself on the edge of the penalty area who dinked the ball to Downing. There were many Reading players in the box so the winger went for the strike rather than the pass to Alves. All he did was manage to splat Doris' Pukka all over her face. The gravy ruined her cardigan.
Reading won a corner on fifty-one after Hunt's dangerous cross was blocked by Young. Upon its return to the centre, the ball ruffled the side-netting.
Downing darted at the Reading defence and dinked the ball through John Oster's legs. His eventual cross had too much on it and neither Tuncay or Alves could connect.
On fifty-seven another Downing cross found Alves but he couldn't get enough purchase on the ball so the chance went begging.
On fifty-nine Julio Arca came off for the second game in succession, to be replaced by Lee Cattermole. This meant Emmanuel Pogatetz became the Boro captain.
The game was duller than a US Presidential debate between Al Gore and Bob Dole as both sides had no idea how to break the other down. So all we were watching was a series of crosses being cleared by either defence, with about as much penetration as a drill-bit made from soda glass.
Some excitement did come on sixty-four however, as Luke Young robbed Stephen Hunt and the Reading man cynically pulled the Boro defender back. He received a booking for his troubles after conceding a free-kick on the edge of the area. Downing blasted his attempt into the side netting.
On sixty-eight Mido replaced Alves in a desperate attempt by Southgate to break the deadlock. The same could be said for Reading who brought on striker Dave Kitson for midfielder John Oster.
Doyle's shot on sixty-nine needed Schwarzer's alertness to deal with it, particulalry as Hunt was loitering.
On seventy-three Reading had a free kick after Grounds clattered into Kitson. Shorey's effort was simple however, and posed no challenge to Schwarzer.
Boro's third and final subsitution was Adam Johnson for George Boateng. Clearly Southgate was going for the win.
On seventy-seven Downing got booked for diving in the penalty area. He had darted into the box and inexplicably hit the deck when he had full control of the ball.
Two minutes later Grounds conceded a corner to thwart some Reading pressure. Hunt's cross flicked off a few heads and it was eventually cleared for a goal kick.
On eighty, Johnson's attacking play forced Reading into conceding a free-kick. Downing took it and the ball found its way back to him after it was cleared from the box. The winger squared the ball back to O'Neil. His shot narrowly sailed over the bar.
Four minutes later Johnson whipped the ball into the box and Mido almost got on the end of it.
A minute later Downing forced a corner after his ball had to be cleared by the Reading backline. Nothing came from the set-piece.
Downing whipped in yet another ball on eighty-six and Wheater got his head on it. However, the ball hit the top of his head rather than his forehead and it sailed harmlessly over the bar.
A minute later Downing took on Rosenior and forced a corner. Nothing came from this either.
Reading attacked on eighty-eight but Jimmy Kebe's trickery undid him as David Wheater merely cleared the ball against him in order to win a goal kick.
Reading were on the attack going into added time and they scored through James Harper. The Boro defence had gone missing and Harper wrong-footed Schwarzer to score what was guaranteed to be the only goal of the game.
MIDDLESBROUGH 0 READING 1 (Harper, 90+1)
Middlesbrough came back at Reading but it was to no avail. This was a game that the Boro simply shouldn't have lost. It had 0-0 written all over it but one defensive lapse undid us.
If you thought that the Boro were out of the relegation battle then think again. Today was still a mustn't lose game and the Boro lost it. Suddenly the relegation trapdoor has opened a little more and the Boro need to put in better performances than this if they are to survive.
Reading hadn't won in eight and hadn't won on the road all season. That's all you need to know. And that Villa away is our rather tricky next game.
Man of the Match: Stewart Downing. As always our major threat came from the winger. It's a shame that we seem to have little else in terms of creative threat.
FAN REACTION
AAAARRRRGGGGHHKKKKGGGGGG
Lord Sherington
I just knew it was going to be one of those days
dessie
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