Boro's growing goal threat secures victory

TONY MOWBRAY is one match away from having presided over a victory over every team in the current Championship since he took the Middlesbrough job two years ago – and his side's latest win was a 26-year work in progress.

Mowbray has seen his team beat every team in the division over the three seasons he has been in charge, with only Leicester City left after Boro saw off Blackpool on Saturday.

The Seasiders had previously maintained the upper hand on Mowbray since their relegation from the Premier League, with Boro last recording a victory against them in 1987 – where Mowbray was captain, not manager.

But Boro made awfully hard work of their long-awaited win. They saw a 3-1 lead courtesy of goals from Ishmael Miller, Richard Smallwood and Scott McDonald, almost reduced to nought with praise and blame in equal measure accorded to goalkeeper Jason Steele, who missed a cross for Chris Basham to add to Wes Thomas' goal, but Steele cancelled out his error in some style when he saved Tom Ince's late penalty given for a harsh Jonathan Woodgate foul on Gary Taylor-Fletcher.

Substitute Adam Reach then restored the two-goal advantage three minutes from time.

Boro arguably put their best first-half performance in of the season against Blackpool on Saturday, and Mowbray believes that revenge for a 4-1 thumping earlier in the season became his side's motivation in a frenetic first 45 minutes.

“Blackpool came here and got a late equaliser last year, this year we got our rewards,” said Mowbray. “The team had a hunger about them to put right what happened at Bloomfield Road.

“Blackpool played fabulously well that night and we didn't do ourselves justice. This time, we played well enough in the first half to deserve it.

He joked: “It was 26 years since the last one – I played, didn't I? I was brilliant that game. Paul Stewart played up front for Blackpool. I remember it well.

“On Saturday, our first half performance warranted the victory. We were dominant, all the chances, all possession, all the threat was ours. We spoke about it at half time and knew they would push on, they would push further up the pitch, and that's what happened.

“Sometimes you can sit in a bit against it, and obviously their goals created an uncertainty, yet we got ourselves back in front once again.”

Middlesbrough's manager admitted that his side's all-round goal threat has given them a different dimension this season which helps them win more matches.

He explained: “We warranted it. The fact we can score four goals, the fact we've got players all over the pitch who can score, McDonald scored a great goal off the left, Reach scored a great one, I'd have to say we couldn't have scored four last season because we didn't have enough goal threats, but this year we have.”

A sixth minute corner from Grant Leadbitter showed a sign of what Blackpool were to expect, with goalkeeper Matt Gilks having to tip the midfielder's inswinger over the bar.

And five corners would follow before Boro took first blood. Another inswinger met the head of Miller, who glanced home.

Once Boro took the lead, it appeared to be plain sailing. Miller's slide rule pass found McDonald, his shot well-saved by Gilks' feet, while Marvin Emnes' pass carved through Blackpool's backline once more, McDonald this time unable to get a shot on target.

But it was third time lucky on 36 minutes, the Dutch striker finding Smallwood, celebrating his 22nd birthday, putting the icing on the cake to slot past Gilks.

Blackpool came into the game after Boro had dominated the first half, and reduced the deficit on 59 minutes when Thomas fired home from a loose ball in the penalty area. However, Boro restored their advantage three minutes later, when McDonald carried the ball from halfway, cut inside and fired past Gilks.

However, Blackpool proved to be no pushovers, with Basham taking full advantage of a rare Steele fumble from Stephen Crainey's corner to fire his side back into contention.

And they should have been level from the spot, despite being given it in somewhat fortuitous circumstances.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher took a tumble under pressure from Woodgate, which the referee considered before pointing to the spot. But, justice was seemingly done when Ince, who attended the Riverside as a child to watch his father play when Boro were a Premier League outfit, missed his lines from the spot and saw Steele claw his spot-kick to safety.

And Blackpool's misery was compounded moments later when substitute Reach composed himself and fired home from 25 yards.

Two weeks ago, Middlesbrough were given a penalty after the linesman overruled the referee. Mowbray did not complain that time, pointing out that his side have been on the side of poor decisions in the past and it will happen in the future.

And so it did – Saturday's linesman overruled referee Stuart Attwell after Taylor-Fletcher went to ground. Luckily, Steele pulled off a fine save, but the decision to award the spot-kick in the first place irked Mowbray.

“The frustration for me is that the official can overrule the referee, who was closer. He'd made a decision, seen it, gave a goal kick. Why didn't they have a discussion, go over, ask what was seen,” said Mowbray. “The referee ten yards away let the linesman 70 yards away make the decision. It was baffling for the whole stadium. It irritates everybody.”

Penalty or not, the victory was Boro's tenth at home this season. Last time a Middlesbrough side won that many games before New Year, they were promoted under Jack Charlton. And Mowbray knows his side need to keep chipping away to stay in the mix.

He said: “We seem to be either winning or losing but not drawing this season. We've drawn two in 25. It's healthy, even if you lose like we did at Elland Road, to go on and win back to back home games, six points from three games.

“Two points a game over 46 games gives you 92 points so you'll be in the top two. We've got to keep going. Cardiff won, Hull won, we have to stay in touch and look after ourselves.”