Danny Graham’s two first half goals ended Middlesbrough’s goal drought and saw his side to a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Blues at the Riverside. The on-loan Sunderland man followed up after Dean Gerken had saved Mustapha Carayol’s shot in the 29th minute, then headed home ex-Blue Grant Leadbitter’s corner moments before half-time.
Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side with Paul Taylor again starting in a three-man attack. Luke Hyam and Jonny Williams returned from hamstring injuries to take places on the bench.
Academy second-year scholar Teddy Bishop travelled with the senior squad for the first time — Anthony Wordsworth having suffered a back problem in Thursday training - but was not included in the 18.
Frazer Richardson was unavailable against his parent club, while skipper Carlos Edwards also didn’t make the trip.
Boro made six changes from the side which lost 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday last week with former Town man Leadbitter returning and skippering the side.
After the home side had won a corner within the first 30 seconds, Taylor carved out the game’s first opportunity, getting behind one-time Town target George Friend on the right and cutting the ball back to Frank Nouble, who returned the ball to the former Peterborough man in an offside position when he might have looked goalwards himself.
The Teessiders, without a goal in their last seven games, went closer in the fourth minute when Graham laid the ball back to Taylor’s former Posh team-mate Lee Tomlin, who shot just wide from the 18-yard line.
Boro probably should have gone in front in the 12th minute when Emmanuel Ledesma’s freekick from the right fell to Friend, who blazed over from 10 yards when he ought to have done better. Four minutes later the former Doncaster left-back cut in and crossed but Graham headed well over.
Friend was proving to be the home side’s biggest danger early on and on 20 he again cut in from the left between Luke Chambers and Christophe Berra but smashed his shot high and wide.
Carayol, a scorer in last year’s corresponding fixture, hit a low strike which Gerken tipped wide in the 21st minute, although the ball appeared to be going past the post in any case.
The Teessiders continued present the greater threat and in the 26th minute Berra did well to get back to stab the ball away from Graham with the striker through behind the Blues’ backline.
Taylor almost put Town in front in the 28th minute after a speculative Daryl Murphy shot had deflected to him on the right of the area. The Liverpudlian curled a shot just over with the outside of his right boot and clearly thought he should have been celebrating his second goal of the season.
Two minutes later, the home side went ahead via their first goal in 12 hours and 14 minutes of football. Gerken couldn’t hold on to Carayol’s low shot to his left and Graham was quickest to react to stab home his first goal since returning to Boro from six yards.
The impetus was very much with the home side after the goal, Carayol making a couple of strong runs down the left, Cresswell first turning the ball to Gerken from close range ahead of Nathaniel Chalobah, before the Blues keeper challenged the winger as he looked to cut the ball back from a tight angle on the left.
As half-time approached, Boro continued to look the more threatening side, Ledesma seeing a 30-yard volley deflect wide after a corner had been cleared to him.
Soon after the fourth official had raised his board, the Teessiders increased their lead. Ex-Town skipper Leadbitter sent over a corner from the left and Graham got in front of Berra at the near post to flick a header across Gerken and into the net.
Boro were well worth their lead at the break, having controlled the game for the most part, creating the vast majority of the chances.
However, the half may well have panned out very differently had Taylor taken his chance shortly before Graham ended his side’s long wait for a goal.
McCarthy switched Luke Hyam for Nouble ahead of the restart with Paul Green moving to the right in a 4-4-2 formation.
Seven minutes after being introduced, Hyam was booked for a foul on Carayol in front of the technical area.
Green did well to turn Carayol’s cross from the right behind ahead of Chalobah in the 58th minute after the winger had got round the outside of Chambers on the Boro right as they broke after Town’s first corner of the afternoon.
A minute later, Cresswell shot well wide from a freekick 30 yards out after Green had been fouled by Ledesma. Soon after, Green scuffed a similarly wayward effort when well placed just outside the box.
Berra required treatment for a knee problem following a solid challenge with Friend, then in the 66th minute Murphy struck Town’s first shot on target but his effort on the turn was easy for Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos.
Three minutes later, McCarthy swapped Taylor, who had worked hard but without having the same impact on the game that he did a week ago, for Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.
Moments later, Ledesma was booked for dissent, then Chambers joined him in the referee’s book for a foul on Carayol, who he pulled back after he had got away from him as the home side broke after a Town corner.
New loanee Jonny Williams was handed his Blues debut in place of Tabb 18 minutes from the end, while Boro switched goalscorer Graham for Kei Kamara.
Town, who were continuing to give the ball away cheaply as they had all afternoon, weren’t looking particularly likely to pull a goal back, while the home side didn’t appear to be overly concerned about adding a third.
Chambers blocked Boro sub Kamara’s shot in the 79th minute before the outstanding Carayol was replaced by Curtis Main to a warm ovation from the home fans.
Smith headed Cresswell’s left-sided corner well over with six minutes remaining, then in injury time Green curled a shot just wide after being found in space in the area by Cole Skuse.
Boro sub Main might have made it 3-0 soon afterwards, but diverted Kamara’s low cross from the right into the side-netting.
Berra forced Konstantopoulos into his most significant save of the afternoon in the final minute of injury time. Williams chipped a cross from the right, Berra nodded goalwards at the far post and the Greek keeper palmed the ball over.
But a Town revival never really looked on the cards. The home side had been deservedly in front at the break and their lead never looked under any serious threat in the second half.
The Blues were lacklustre throughout, giving the ball away far too easily and — aside from Taylor’s first half chance — creating little until the closing stages.
Town remain ninth still four points from sixth ahead of Tuesday’s trip to relegation-threatened Yeovil, who beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at home today.
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Gibson, Chalobah, Varga, Carayol (Main 80), Leadbitter (c), Friend, Tomlin (Butterfield 77), Graham (Kamara 72), Omeruo, Ledesma. Subs: Steele, Williams L, Atkinson, Morris.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Cresswell, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Tabb (Williams 72), Green, Taylor (Ebanks-Blake 69), Murphy, Nouble (Hyam 46). Subs: Loach, Anderson, Hunt, Mings, Williams. Referee: Iain Williamson (Berkshire). Att: 13,965 (Town: 450).