| Pos. 15th (21pts) | SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2019 | Pos. 22nd (12pts) | ||
| Derby County | 2-0 | Boro | ||
| Lawrence (22, 84) | 60% 23(10) 6 10 |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS |
40% 10(1) 2 13 |
▮ Saville (32) |
Boro Rammed down deeper
Both clubs have faced a somewhat underwhelming start to the season and whilst MFC have downplayed their expectations Derby were fancied as Play Off prospects. Their high-profile arrival in the New Year was probably thought to be the icing on the cake to spearhead their anticipated run in. Disappointment abounds in both Stadiums but even the very mention of the word Stadium added fuel to the relegation dog fight this afternoon.
Derby’s off field problems with three of their Players are well documented of late including the controversial decision to part company with Richard Keogh this week. Boro meanwhile have made the press for telling several players that their contracts will not be renewed at current rates, to be fair I’m not sure if the contracts of a few of them would be renewed in any case. Nevertheless, in Halloween week it added considerable doubt over team spirit in both dressing rooms.
George Friend had resumed training this week but wouldn’t be ready for a while yet, Pears was expected to continue in goal and Gestede was as ever still injured. Derby had George Evans due back from a two-month layoff and newly confirmed Captain Curtis Davis was expected to be the man in the mask after a facial injury which I understand had nothing to do with his driving. Before kick off there were a few demoralising stats for Boro. Only Barnsley were on a longer winless run of thirteen games in the Championship than Boro’s seven games and that only Wigan’s seven blanks meant that they had failed to score in more Championship games this season than Boro’s six.
Fair to say that expectations were pretty low from the travelling perspective but things were not that rosy with the home fans either so the atmosphere could become quite interesting. The Boro team news had Ashley Fletcher missing because of an “injury” (there were groundless rumours that he had scored a goal in training on Thursday and went into cardiac arrest), anyway Browne came in to take his place. Paddy McNair remained as part of the back three with the experience of Marvin Johnson back in for Coulson who dropped to the bench.
The grey foreboding clouds provided a suitable atmospheric back drop after all Hallows eve especially considering the plight of both clubs as the players took to the Pride Park pitch. The bench highlighted just how Boro were down to the bare bones, Mejias, Walker, Liddle, Wood, Dijksteel and Clayton joined Coulson. Cocu brought in Striker Jack Marriott starting today for the first time since September and LB Scott Malone in an effort to resurrect their season.
After a struggling Bugler’s rendition of the last post Ref Darren Bond got proceedings underway with the rain welcoming November into the football calendar. Wigan losing earlier in the afternoon to Swansea gave us some hope we could climb out of the drop zone. Boro got things underway with Britt conceding possession in the opening seconds. He made up for it a minute later when Britt was through on the Rams goal alert to a poor back pass but his effort hit Clarke, one of two despairing white shirts and it went out for a corner.
The early minutes indicated that Derby’s defence was all over the place and chaotic as Marcus Browne nearly stole the ball and then it was frantically down the opposite end as Derby won a corner off Ayala. It was Ayala who got his head to clear the danger from the corner which saw Britt try and find Browne just missing his intended target. End to end stuff but the home side had given reason to get the home fans on edge which suited Boro in those opening five minutes. On ten minutes Lewis Wing fired a ball into Britt, backing into his defender he turned but his shot was wide. Assombalonga seemed much more alert and eager than of late in the opening stages. Maybe it was because of a kick up his backside or perhaps it was the more tenacious style of Browne over Fletcher creating more anxiety in the Derby defence.
McNair went into Ref Bond’s book after being nutmegged for pulling back Lawrence near the corner flag. The ball was consequently sent to the far post which Howson cleared for a throw in. A left footed Shinnie effort deflected off Wing for a Derby corner with the rain now easing off and Derby ominously getting back into the game.
Browne then strangely deposited himself on the pitch requiring treatment for a mystery ailment. As the game restarted Marriott and Martin worked to create an opportunity which should have been a warning. A series of slick one touch Derby inter passing play then carved the Boro back line open allowing Lawrence from the edge of the box to hit it low putting the Rams one up with twenty-two minutes gone. The sun was now shining literally on Derby and Boro were now faced with having to actually score a goal, something which so far this season had been alien. With wobbles still on display Pears had to be alert three minutes later to smother a Rams attack.
Browne was in the wars again as he went down after a hefty challenge. The Ref waved play on but a free kick to Boro in the next phase provided Wing with an effort which went over Roos’s crossbar. Curtis Davies then met a header forcing Pears to tip over the bar at the other end. From the goal kick clearance Browne was brought down again and again Ref Bond decided it wasn’t worthy of a card. Howson worked space and put in a near post ball into Tav but Roos reacted quickest as a rare Boro chance went begging.
A series of Derby shots and Boro blocks eventually saw Howson break and try a ridiculous back heel to the up until now anonymous George Saville forcing him to commit and clatter into Bielik in what looked like a 50/50 for a straight red card with thirty-one minutes gone. Bielik looked like he would struggle to continue but it was Boro who made a change with Dijksteel coming on for Browne as Woodgate reshuffled his pack, personally I would have hooked Tav as Browne had looked by far the livelier. Derby broke after the restart and then Boro counter attacked but Britt dithered and the opportunity gone. Derby broke down the other end as the pace of the game ramped up again.
The momentum now was obviously with Derby with Britt being more isolated than normal. Boro had switched to a back four with McNair and Howson now pushed further upfield. A free kick to Boro in almost the same place as previous was taken charge by McNair who cleared the wall but over the bar to mimic Wing’s previous effort. Boro now looked like they had finally cleared their heads and exerted some pressure on Derby but had to be careful that they didn’t over commit.
There was five minutes added time announced but it was Derby who nearly added to their lead when Fry was beaten to a header by Bogle who earlier in the week had just added to the Derby driving conviction count by picking up speeding points. A minute later it was Bogle again who drove in towards the Boro goal forcing Pears into action which ended the first half action.
Boro as has been their story all season had their chances but fluffed their lines with Britt hitting a defender and then taking too long to shoot and but for astray passing, we could have had a few more opportunities. Elsewhere Reading were winning, Huddersfield were drawing but at least Luton were losing at home to Forest. The “live” League table however didn’t make for great reading as a gap of two points was now opening up.
Derby got the second half underway with no changes from either Manager. The early exchanges saw Derby now pushed further up and looking for an early second goal to kill this game off with Bogle looking lively finding Martin whose effort went wide as Boro’s defence looked at each other in frustration. Boro would have to be strong and solid and compose themselves if they were to survive this pressure. Bielik broke and the Boro defence looked all at sea backing off, our left side looked lost as Tav and Johnson were not joined up in their thinking. Bielik still looked to be struggling but Boro couldn’t make the weakness count in their favour. Holmes then broke down our left but the final ball evaded Martin. Bielik then finally succumbed and hobbled off for Evans to take his place.
Derby’s Malone was off the pitch receiving treatment with the travelling army urging Boro to make the temporary even numbers count as a Dijksteel cross fizzed in which went out for a corner. Johnson delivered the corner in to Ayala but he sliced his shot wide. Derby then pushed up again and as our defence backed off Marriott came very close to adding that killer second goal as Malone had re-entered the fray. An off the ball incident between Wing and Martin ended with Wing going down off the ball holding his face, obviously aggrieved at something.
As the off-field temperature dropped with the sun there were a few niggling encounters going on out on the pitch as Lewis Wing in particular was cutting a very frustrated figure with thirty minutes remaining. Our left flank was looking susceptible as thoughts were turning to wondering if it was perhaps worth risking Coulson. It was Cocu however who made the next change withdrawing Martin for Waghorn to presumably stop some of the niggles Martin was becoming involved in and shore things up.
Twenty minutes remaining and Derby had Boro effectively penned back in their own half needing something clever to get that crucial equaliser and it nearly came via McNair after Johnson had crossed, Howson cut it back to the Northern Irishman but the Ref had saw an infringement in the build up. Ayala cleared a Derby corner but the Rams came straight back at Boro and the pressure was back on again as Boro looked to be understandably tiring.
A silly free kick conceded by Ayala on Waghorn thirty yards out saw Derby deliver a ball in by Lawrence and Pears punch for Holmes to put it out for a Boro goal kick. Walker and Coulson were being readied to inject some much-needed pace and an outlet for Boro with ten minutes remaining. Wing and Johnson made way for the pair with Walker looking to support Assombalonga. It was risky but there was nothing to lose now as Boro needed to try and get something from this game to keep in touch with the bottom feeders. It was however Bogle again who looked the most likely to create as he skinned Coulson with Waghorn nearly benefitting from his efforts.
Minutes later Bogle again tore down the flank, tee’d up Lawrence who calmly put the game beyond reach hitting the Ram’s second into the far corner with six minutes remaining. The wind went out of the Boro sails when that net bulged. It was made all the worse by the fact that this was a very poor Derby side who with all eleven players, we might have reasonably expected something from this game. A great double save from Aynsley Pears saved us from a humiliating third Derby goal as two minutes added time had just been held up. The Home fans chorused “you’re being sacked in the morning” and something else unprintable on here about Steve Gibson after enquiring about his awareness of the score line.
In isolation today wasn’t great but in the context of the entire season to date at some point bad luck, missed opportunities, (a solitary Boro effort on target), officiating decisions and lying tables have to be discounted. MOM was nigh on impossible but Dijksteel done OK when he came on and deserves some credit for that but overall there wasn’t anyone in a red shirt that made a difference.
A run of eight games without a win now and no doubt there will be fresh clamouring’s for a change in the dug out but the accountability for this mess is much higher up the organisation chart. I think there does need to be a change in the dugout but I thought that back in June so nothing new there then. An experienced Adkins or Pearson might just be able to grab what is left of this squad by the scruff of its neck and drag them to safety but the real bottleneck within MFC will like as much remain in situ. As the saying goes if you buy cheap you buy twice, albeit at hugely inflated fees in the case of Boro no doubt!