| Pos. 20th (17 pts) | WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2019 | Pos. 24th (9 pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-0 | Barnsley | ||
| Fletcher (54) | 37% 12(5) 8 9 |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS |
63% 14(2) 3 13 |
|
Rain soaked pain relief
After the highs and lows on Sunday bottom side Barnsley visit the Riverside for a traditional bleak cold mid-week spectacle played out in front of a sparse crowd. Who can forget these games against the Blackpool’s or Rotherham’s of yore when official attendances seemingly had little relation to the swathes of red plastic on display. The most memorable aspect of recent duals between these two was the demise of Mogga who despite being a true Tee Tee Teessider of the very highest calibre was subjected to levels of abuse that to this day are still fresh in the memories of many for all the wrong reasons.
So here we are again, Boro struggling to keep their heads above water and with another Teesside ex Centre Back at the helm although with nowhere remotely near the revered cult status that Mogga had deservedly banked. As bad as things were back then not many of us would have foreseen that we would have come full circle so quickly. New Barnsley Manager Gerhard Struber would have seen this game as a possible win although the opening half hour of Boro’s game on Sunday may invoke a more cautious approach. For Woodgate a win is all that matters, with an 11% win rate in his new career another draw or perish the thought a defeat would just about finish things for him although his Chairman may see it from a different perspective.
Boro would be without Johnson and Saville after their last-ditch despairing game saving tackles in the middle of nowhere enforced their absence tonight. The Home side would literally pick itself although what shape they would take was subject to plenty of discussion especially after the Sunday second half fall from grace. Barnsley who were without a win since the opening day, would be without their promising young Finnish defender Aapo Halme after he went off with a head injury in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Blackburn.
Results last night could have been worse but Luton’s win saw Boro back in the bottom three, the pressure was well and truly on before Kick Off. No Randolph so Pears came back in between the sticks and there were not one but two Hayden’s involved, Coulson in for the suspended Johnson and Hackney on the bench which could prove useful should things go wrong in the miserable deluge the game was going to be played under. A sparse looking Riverside reminiscent of those floundering pre Karanka days welcomed the bottom feeders onto the pitch.
Oliver Langford’s whistle started the evening with Britt chasing down on Radlinger’s goal as Boro started the match at full tilt. Despite Boro’s energetic start Barnsley looked determined to play the ball around rather than hoof it upfield which considering the conditions was a bold move from Gerhard Struber’s men. Mowatt picked up on a moment of hesitancy from Wing which led to a throw in and a cross which saw a fierce shot on Pears goal which was blocked by Howson and earned the visitors the first corner of the evening.
Boro were being cut open down the right and this time an attack ended with chaos in the Boro box with Wing clearing the danger and Howson then setting up Assombalonga sprinting forward with Ben Williams sliding in to keep the scores level on the Barnsley goal line. The conditions obviously playing its part in the frenetic opening pace. Wing then slipped allowing Barnsley to break with Cavare and this time it was Tav doing enough to put the attacker off. In those last two minutes there could easily have been three or four goals and just ten minutes of the match had gone! The conditions were less than perfect with puddles everywhere, players slipping and sliding and the potential for the ball to be unintentionally held up so anything could happen.
A Paddy McNair corner saw the ball splash into the Barnsley box with water spinning off it as it rotated through the air illustrating how ridiculous the weather was. A few minutes later Dijksteel pulled up which may have been a continuation from Sunday when he had a period in the second half against Hull and looked to be struggling. The prognosis didn’t look good and surprisingly Bola was being warmed up as his replacement. For me I would have gone with Wood and pushed Howson back to his usual Right Wing Back role. We just hoped it wasn’t going to be another bizarre substitution from the Boro Coaching team that would bite us later on.
The game after a busy start had now descended into a clumsy affair as Barnsley came close with an effort from Thomas after Brown had left Bola in his wake Boro needing Howson to once again slide in to the rescue with twenty five minutes gone. If anything at this stage of the game Barnsley now looked to be adapting to the conditions better than Boro who may have been unsettled after Dijksteel’s injury and with Bola looking nervy playing on the right. A minute later it was Bahre’s turn to test Pears as Boro knew tonight was going to be a close contest.
A Coulson break saw Boro get into some positive action at the opposite end but the move spluttered out as Barnsley responded and came straight back and with it entering into some early Pantomime theatrics with Woodrow going down claiming he was fouled by Coulson and then rolled around like he was poleaxed. Brown then went down seconds later looking for delayed sympathy from Oliver Langford as Ayala did seem to actually make contact with his arm.
Bola picked Britt out with a great curved ball and as he was closing in on his target Britt’s control let him down and Radlinger came sliding out spread-eagled to tackle clearing the danger for the Tykes. It was Coulson again who got down the left flank forcing Cavare into giving away a corner which swung in from McNair forcing Keeper Radlinger to come out and totally misjudge the flight; it went out for another Boro corner from the opposite side but this time it going out aimlessly for a Barnsley goal kick.
Jonny Howson went into Langford’s book after letting Woodrow feel the effects of a real challenge just before half time. Meanwhile the rain just kept lashing down on a totally saturated playing surface. Woodrow was set up by Mowatt in a swashbuckling move but thankfully his effort from the edge of the box went flying over Pear’s goal. The half ended 0-0 with the weather undoubtedly having a huge impact on the nights play but after a sprightly start it was Barnsley who had adapted the better and Struber who will have been much the happier Manager during the break with the Tykes enjoying the freedom of the flanks. To make matters worse Britt looked to be suspiciously limping off the pitch.
A big second half coming up for both Managers, meanwhile the half time concourse conclusion was that the match had so far looked like a low to middling League One affair, hopefully it won’t be as prophetic as it was realistic from a Boro perspective. As the game had progressed Boro looked like a side in trouble with the youngsters from Barnsley growing into this game.
Both sides came out with the same personnel who had finished the first 45 as Boro tried an early attack once again but it was embarrassingly overhit. Cavare then tried to get past Coulson to get a cross in but Coulson stuck to his task albeit conceding a corner. Cavare missed an opportunity from the corner but it was Jacob Brown who struck Pear’s crossbar after the ball was cut back to him on the edge of the Boro box, his curved shot had left everyone in a Red shirt rooted.
A defensive header from Wing needed Ayala to clear as Barnsley came again at the home side but immediately Boro broke fortuitously thanks to a Terrier like Tav nicking the ball on the touchline, out muscling Cavare defending and cut the ball across finding Fletcher bursting forward into the Barnsley box, rounding the keeper and a slipping defender before sliding the ball into the open net from an ever acute angle that was starting to make the North Stand nervous. Fifty four minutes gone and Boro were one nil up!
Barnsley had to commit themselves and Boro now looked to be relieved momentarily at least playing with more purpose as another Boro attempt sailed over Radlinger’s crossbar. Fletcher’s goal seemed to take an eternity when he received Tav’s pass but in fairness the lad kept calm and his composure proved vital. Barnsley meanwhile had Ayala to curse for blocking a Woodrow effort and responding with Tav bursting down the middle but with no support he ran out of options.
Lewis Wing flew into a tackle and whilst it wasn’t as clear cut as Johnson’s on Sunday, we were relieved when it was only a Yellow flashed at him by Langford. A Coulson challenge on Dimitri Cavare saw another well-acted response winning a free kick from which Pears had to punch clear with Woodrow then connecting but slicing his effort much to our relief. Barnsley brought Bahre off for McGeehan in an effort to get themselves back into the game with twenty minutes remaining.
An Ayala clearance set up Britt who missed his opportunity as did Fletcher who couldn’t meet the follow up from Britt as Barnsley replied by breaking away towards the South Stand requiring Pears to be alert and collect. Worryingly Pears then rolled the ball out to allow treatment for Paddy McNair who was sat on the pitch looking disconsolate. Meanwhile Struber brought on Striker Schmidt for Thomas as Paddy McNair unconvincingly soldiered on. Pears then spilled a shot to concede a corner for the Tykes but a Tav clearance found Coulson whose effort went wide of Radlinger but the Keeper somehow got something on it keeping Barnsley’s hopes alive and Boro frustrated. The incoming corner went out immediately for another Wing taken corner which he hit short but the move ended up offside. Clayton then came on for McNair to a mixed reception but not as “mixed” as when the claimed attendance was announced a minute later. They may as well have said 75,000 as the claimed 18,000 judging by the hoots of derision and laughter.
Radlinger had to be alert once again as Tav advanced on him advancing from the right hand side with only ten minutes remaining. As the resultant corner was cleared a free kick was then awarded to Barnsley which was blocked by Bola from being taken quickly and received Boro’s third yellow of the night. The clock ticked down to five minutes remaining and for Boro it was all about hanging on while Barnsley had to try and push up for a desperate equaliser. Another Woodrow attempt was thwarted this time by Coulson as Tav was down needing treatment. The hope was that it was cramp or “professional” rather than a serious injury.
All eyes were now on the fourth official to see how much longer Boro had to hang on for to claim those precious and all too rare three points. Four minutes came up as Mowatt had just wasted a spell of Barnsley possession. Howson meanwhile tried to delay proceedings by hanging onto the ball but the Tykes regained it and Chaplin got a cross in as Tav half cleared and then Fry finally clearing the danger up to Fletcher who looked to be fouled, then Britt put it out wide for Tav who drew a challenge and in doing so ran down the clock. Britt rounded Radlinger only to see Williams again thwart him for a corner which was played short and went straight out of play again for a goal kick as the final whistle went and the night ending with a home win and three precious points for Boro.
The victory was anything but convincing but it was a ground out win which was by far the more important result. Playing well against Luton or for a half against Brentford or Hull is fine but its points that will keep Boro up and tonight it was all three and moving up to 20th. A better second half from Boro but by no means convincing, it does leave the table looking easier for the rest of the week. In our present predicament the end justifies the means and despite the visitors having the bulk of the possession we came away with three points. There were a few decent functional performances namely, Ayala, Fry and Britt but it was Tav who caught my eye and it was his determination not to give up that created Fletchers goal so he gets my MOM.