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Town 3-3 Middlesbrough
Town 3-3 Middlesbrough
Tuesday, 12th Apr 2011 22:21

Grant Leadbitter netted twice, the second a penalty, and Connor Wickham once as the Blues drew 3-3 at home to Middlesbrough. Leadbitter put the Blues in front early on, but two goals in a minute just before the break from Andy Halliday and Scott McDonald saw the visitors into a surprise lead. Boro extended their lead after the restart via Andrew Taylor but Connor Wickham and then Leadbitter from the spot levelled with both teams having opportunities to win it late on.

Town were unchanged for the third successive match with Lee Martin returning from his two-game ban and replacing Kieron Dyer on the bench.

Former Blues loanee Matthew Bates captained Middlesbrough, who lost striker Marvin Emnes late this afternoon when he was suspended for three games for violent conduct after an incident in the weekend victory over Sheffield United.

The game started brightly with Jimmy Bullard almost playing in Connor Wickham in the opening minute before Tarmo Kink hit an early shot straight at Arran Lee-Barrett for the visitors.

Town again went close in the third minute when Saturday’s hero Josh Carson sent in a dangerous ball from the right only narrowly too far in front of Jason Scotland.

The Blues were looking much the more threatening side in the opening minutes and on six Mark Kennedy sent over a cross from the left which Carson managed to head back across goal before the ball was eventually bundled behind.

From the corner the Blues went in front. The ball was half-cleared to David Norris on the edge of the area, the skipper laying it off to Grant Leadbitter, who hit a shot which deflected into the net, probably off Gareth McAuley, although the centre-half didn’t celebrate as if he’d scored.

On 12 Bullard curled a freekick over after Leadbitter had been fouled five yards outside the area before the chances dried up for a while but with the Blues on top for the most part.

Damien Delaney flicked on Bullard’s corner from the left in the 24th minute, Boro centre-half Seb Hines requiring lengthy treatment after colliding with a team-mate.

Good work from Scotland created an opportunity for Wickham on 34 but his strike was blocked. Meanwhile Hines succumbed to his injury and was replaced by Rhys Williams, the Teessiders having already used one sub, Andy Halliday, when Merouane Zemmama was forced off just after the quarter hour.

Norris came close to increasing Town’s lead in the 40th minute when Carson crossed left-footed from the right and the Blues’ captain flicked a header which Boro keeper Paul Smith couldn’t hold on to. Wickham looked to seize on the loose ball but the linesman raised his flag.


The half completely turned around in a minute. First the visitors, who had hardly threatened up to then, equalised with a 42nd minute goal as bizarre as they come. Wideman Tarmo Kink appeared to under-hit his cross from the right but Damien Delaney sliced his clearance on to his own crossbar and Andy Halliday followed up to score.

Almost immediately, the Blues got caught committing too many men forward, Halliday cleverly turning McAuley and taking the ball into space on the left. Delaney came across to challenge but left Scott McDonald completely free in the middle and the ex-Celtic gratefully converted Halliday’s pass when it came.

Town looked shellshocked for the remaining moments of the half, which were augmented by six minutes due to the treatment required by Hines.

The Blues would have deserved to have been in front of what had been an end to end half but for the calamitous defending just before the break.

Leadbitter’s deflected goal may have been fortuitous but on the balance of the period a Town lead wouldn’t have been unfair. A number of crosses had flown across the box, mainly from Carson, and on another day Paul Jewell’s side might have been further in front.

There was an element of luck about Middlesbrough’s first goal, although Delaney really ought to have dealt with it, while the second was just bad defending with the Blues committing too many men forward too quickly in the aftermath of the first goal, losing possession and paying the price.

Town started the second half as they ended the first and were almost further behind within seconds when Lee-Barrett failed to deal with a long ball from the left and McDonald had a shot cleared off the line by McAuley with the keeper on the floor.

However, a third Boro goal wasn’t too long in coming. In the 51st minute Halliday, who had made a huge impact on the game since coming on as a sub, found Andrew Taylor in space on the left and the former England U21 confidently beat Lee-Barrett.

Town thought they’d pulled a goal back on 56 when Smith failed to hold on to Bullard’s low strike and Wickham followed up but the linesman adjudged the 18-year-old to have been offside when the loanee from Hull had struck his shot, almost certainly very harshly.

The visitors went close to increasing their lead moments later when full-back Joe Bennett ran past a number of Town defenders but was thwarted by Lee-Barrett.

Lee Martin replaced Scotland as the hour mark approached, Wickham going up front. A minute later Mark Kennedy was booked for a foul on Kink.

Wickham lashed over from the edge of the box on 63, but a minute later the England U21 international’s persistence paid off. Carson won a freekick when he was blocked by Julio Arca on the right, Bullard whipped the ball into the area and Wickham rose to nod home his eighth goal of the season.

On 66 Wickham almost levelled. Edwards crossed from the right, the young striker headed goalwards but Smith did well to push his powerful header over. From the corner, the ball was cleared to Leadbitter but Smith was also equal to his shot.

Town had upped the tempo noticeably since scoring their second goal with Wickham looking far more of a threat than Scotland in the lone striking role.

The Blues were almost made to pay for their defensive frailties again in the 70th minute when Bennett again waltzed through the Town backline, Lee-Barrett saving his effort from a tight angle low to his right. There was a further scare on 73 when McAuley dispossessed Bennett inside the area but hit Halliday with his clearance, the ball fortunately failing to fall for either McDonald or Bennett.

The Blues got back on terms with a quarter of a hour remaining from the penalty spot. Wickham lost out to Bates on the edge of the area, the second ball falling to Martin. The sub broke into the box and was tripped by the former Blues loanee, who had few complaints. Leadbitter, who missed his last spotkick, had not trouble this time, sending the ball to Smith’s right.

The impetus was now very much with the Blues, Wickham having a shot blocked. Moments later, Delaney forced Smith into the save of the night with a header from a Bullard cross from the left after the corner, the keeper reacting superbly to tip over. From the subsequent flagkick, Martin flicked on McAuley’s header but over.

Boro man of the match Halliday shot over as the game entered its final five minutes with either side still possible winners. Darren O’Dea replaced Kennedy at left-back for the final six minutes.

With a minute of normal time remaining, Bullard almost won it for the Blues. Wickham had been fouled 35 yards out and the 32-year-old unleashed a fearsome shot which Smith misjudged, the ball hitting his midriff but falling safely for Tony Mowbray’s men.

After four minutes of injury time referee Mick Russell blew the whistle on what had been a pulsating if not always top quality encounter.

Town had started brightly, suffered the footballing equivalent of a middle order collapse before showing the spirit to get themselves back into the match again.

In the end they might even have won it, although Middlesbrough will similarly feel that they had had plenty of chances to increase their lead when they were 3-1 up and in the end a draw was probably the right result.

Town: Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Kennedy (O’Dea 84), McAuley, Delaney, Leadbitter, Bullard, Norris, Carson, Wickham, Scotland (Martin 59). Unused: Fülöp, Healy, Peters, Civelli, Drury.

Middlesbrough: Smith, McMahon, Bennett, McManus, Hines (Williams 34), Arca, Bates, Taylor, Kink (Thomson 72), Zemmama (Halliday 16), McDonald. Unused: Coyne, Davies, Smallwood, Tavares. Referee: Mick Russell (Hertfordshire). Att: 17,286 (Boro: 328).


Photo: Action Images



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