| Pos. 17th (5 pts) | SATURDAY 2$ AUGUST 2019 | Pos. 10th (8 pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-0 | Millwall | ||
| McNair (70) | 60% 11(2) 6 13 |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS |
40% 12(4) 7 10 |
Bradshaw (76) |
Lions lack bite!
As sporadic a start as Boro may have had to their season the Lions had been well and truly mauled last time out losing 4-0 at Fulham. No doubt they were wanting to put that debacle behind them when they travelled to come face to face with Roary’s lot at the Riverside. Neil Harris had to pick his side up and hoped that they put in a far better performance against the Boro, which based on form to date may not be too difficult an ask.
Hope was high that Fry would be back and that we could push on from the Wigan win and that Friend may have recovered with only Coulson missing. Millwall’s former Boro target Jed Wallace was unavailable after his red card against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend and winger Jiri Skalak was also set to miss the game after a injured ankle against Fulham.
The temperature on my dash when I parked up on Riverside Road at 1.30 pm was reading 28 degrees so a great day for the fans but a bad day for playing football with clear blue skies and strong sunlight beaming down on the Stadium. I’m not sure if full warm-ups were required in that level of heat but both sides put players through their paces. My guess was that the temperature within the confines of the Stadium was a few degrees higher on the pitch than my dashboard. The team news for Boro was that Fry was on the bench with Friend ruled out, Browne had kept his starting role and Saville had come in for Wing who was benched. Anfernee Dijksteel dropped out altogether with a knock sustained in training.
The game kicked off with Millwall lamping a long ball out to the giant that is Matt Smith on their right wing putting Bola immediately under pressure and losing a height contest. That was to be a theme of Millwall’s game all afternoon, hit the big man and have players running around looking for the knock downs. Browne was the first to threaten for Boro after a poor cross field ball from Fletcher should have been intercepted, it was well read but the Millwall player slipped and Browne was able to run through on Bart Bialkowski’s goal, went flying but it was waved on as no foul committed. That too was to be a feature of Boro’s afternoon, claims for fouls and handballs that were repeatedly waved away and ignored by the Officials for yet another game.
The game generally was poor fayre in terms of a footballing purist perspective and looked every inch a relegation scrap between two very functional but limited sides. Millwall were having the benefit of the opening stages and a low free kick on the edge of the Boro box was blocked and cleared by the wall doing its job. Millwall corners were another tactic that had been rehearsed and Smith of course was the target causing Shotton and Ayala to be on their mettle in dealing with the threat and one just after that low free kick caused consternation in the Boro ranks and we were looking like we could go behind soon if not careful.
Just after the quarter hour mark the North Stand had their hearts in their collective mouths as Randolph was forced to come out and deal with a poor back pass. Remarkably the big ROI Keeper came out of the box, dribbled past two attackers Beckenbauer style and then had the audacity to play the best ball of the game in setting Assombalonga clean through with the clearance but unfortunately Britt was adjudged to be the cause of the ensuing collision between himself and the defender with another decision going against Boro. An extra yard of pace and Britt could have been a hero.
That was the brightest point of the game so far and the first time that Boro had looked like they might get their noses in front. On twenty minutes Shotton had to be strong and alert to prevent Smith from putting Millwall into the lead as they were now growing into the game. Perhaps their gold shirts were dazzling Boro in the strong sunlight with a few of us puzzled over why the visitors were not wearing their usual navy blue attire.
Five minutes later Boro failed to clear their lines and a fierce strike from the edge of the 18 yard box had Randolph at full stretch to tip the ball just over his crossbar when he looked well beaten when the ball left Thompsons boot. Things were about to get even more nervy as the corner that was then delivered in saw a scramble and a shot that hit the Boro crossbar and come down off Claytons head to fortunately clear for Boro via Howson. Millwall at this stage looked by far the better side with Boro looking dependant surprisingly on Ryan Shotton getting blocks and headers in endeavouring to keep a clean sheet. Even Britt was back heading clear in what looked a less than believable Boro game plan at this point.
Our midfield wasn’t functioning as an effective unit. Saville was looking distinctly average; Clayton was having to scrap to try and keep things together while Browne was at least keeping his temper under control but was offering little going forward and with Bola behind they looked a weak link. McNair was linking with Howson on the opposite side but there were far too many small passes that led to nothing along with three touch football all over which allowed Millwall to get back into defensive positions. Time after time our slow cumbersome build up looked well read, predictable and anticipated by Millwall.
The oppressive heat obviously ruled out high tempo pressing football but what replaced it was a porous midfield, little threat from wide positions and Shotton and Ayala having to deal with more than they should have in a home fixture. Howson was steady and Bola had moments but couldn’t link with Browne in front and overall, we looked unconvincing and susceptible as a unit. It has been said before but against one of the divisions better sides this Boro performance would have been destroyed. The recycling of the ball by Boro was starting to get the home fans a little frustrated and although the murmurs were kept largely in check rolled eyeballs were working overtime in the stands.
Millwall were building up their attacks and corner count and with five minutes before the half time whistle the game was still on a knife edge at 0-0. A challenge won by Howson near the touchline was adjudged to have been a foul by the Ref in what looked like a really soft and contentious decision. The ball ended up in the Boro Technical area and was collected by Leo as the disputed kick was being argued out on the pitch when Neil Harris came across and walloped Leo on the back (I’m guessing that he maybe thought Leo had swallowed the ball and was trying to dislodge it from his airway). It was in plain sight of the Linesman, Referee John Brooks and the Fourth Official making a Red Card for Harris inevitable as he was sent to the stands. Chants of “Leo, Leo, Leo” reverberated around the Riverside as the Boro fans finally had something to get passionate about.
Just before the sending off, Mahoney had a shot blocked by Saville as Boro looked on the back foot as the half wore down. The half time whistle sounded four minutes later with the suspicion that were it not for Leo’s antics the atmosphere may have been a lot more sullen from the stands. Woodgate clearly had decisions to make at half time as what had unfolded in the first half was just a disjointed, scrappy mess with little coherent strategy in evidence.
When the sides came out for the second half Boro had made their way onto the pitch several minutes before Millwall with Browne missing and Johnson readied to enter the fray. Johnson offered a more direct approach and immediately we looked more comfortable as he lined up in front of Howson and along with McNair offered a passing triangle that worked their way up the pitch with
finally some delivery from wide. Just as Boro looked to be offering something Randolph almost handed Smith a golden ticket by inexplicably and uncharacteristically scuffing a clearance straight into the path of the lurking Striker who reciprocated Randolphs’ generosity by hitting the ball back straight back at him but at least forcing a dive from him to spare both their blushes.
As Johnson continued service, Assombalonga had claims for a penalty ignored as the Linesman running the East Stand touchline clearly had the sun in his eyes all afternoon and saw nothing of the handball that four thousand or so in the North Stand clearly did. A few minutes later and Randolph was at it again as a cross came sailing over from his left he ran out to cover the ball with no right sided Boro defender in sight and shielded it out for a throw in on the far side with all the classy composure of a Beckenbauer once again.
Marvin Johnson had turned fortunes for Boro and was a constant threat and worry with Millwall doubling up on him but his link up play with McNair and Howson was paying dividends as Boro had yet another handball plea ignored. Three minutes later, Bola broke down the left, passed it inside to Fletcher who instinctively flicked it into the path of the advancing McNair in what was the first and only high tempo Boro move all afternoon and the Northern Irishman drove forward and cut his shot back into the right hand side of the advancing Bialkowski’s goal to put Boro 1-0 up in the 70th minute.
It looked like it could be another ugly unconvincing win but Millwall still felt they could get something out of this. Two minutes later Millwall made their second change of the game after earlier bringing on Ferguson for O’Brien this time they brought forward Tom Bradshaw on as they were awarded a corner and the far post ball was headed back into the hot zone by Smith no less and after a bit of a melee Bradshaw looked to have either got something on it or at least barged it via someone in Red into the net to make it 1-1.
Woodgate responded by bringing on Wing for Clayton with the largely ineffective Saville dropping deeper into the defensive midfield role. Wing started to ping balls out to the flanks and inject a bit of urgency and directness into an up until them mono paced midfield. Millwall had seemingly settled for a point and packed their defence to see out the game. Chances had broken to Fletcher and Howson but both had Britt’s shooting boots on but I am assured that no seagulls were injured as a consequence of their efforts. At the other end a dubiously awarded free kick was floated in to Smith who missed his target with Randolph looking stranded. Boro were lucky not to be 2-1 down. Sensing blood Millwall clearly felt that there was still something to be had from their visit North and but for a last-ditch block on Bradshaw by Shotton they definitely would have walked away with all three points.
A series of last minute Pulis style Shotton long throws ended with another handball shout as another Johnsons cross was blocked by an arm at overhead height but incredibly it was given as a corner, which indicated that both officials knew who it had come off but deemed that a hand over the head wasn’t intentional. It ended 1-1 with the North stand finally seeing a goal for the first time in a League game since the Lions last visit in January.
It was marginally better than Wigan on Tuesday but Boro like Millwall looked every inch a relegation fodder side with little cause for optimism. The early Luton and Brentford displays are now history and survival scrapping has taken its place. Shapeless and systemless, we resorted to Pulis long throws in the end which whilst a negative for some at least indicated that there may just be time for a common sense shift to playing to this squads’ strengths rather than an idealistic and naïve version of some kind of footballing Nirvana. Randolph had a few magical moments, which ordinarily should have won him MOM but he also boosted sales of Cushelle and Andrex on Teesside. McNair opened his Boro scoring account and Johnson turned the game but my MOM will be unpopular with many but I’m giving it to Shotton who whilst untidy at times gave his all for the cause. He had a battle all afternoon with the handful that was Smith while supporting Bola, and got in a few blocks and crucial tackles, good enough for me to over look his aberration of a cross field pass that nearly cost us mid game.
This Boro side have lost their defensive solidity but added nothing elsewhere to convince me that we are moving in any direction let alone the right one. Saville was poor as was Britt and our Midfield just looked like they will struggle this season unless things get organised and sorted quickly. The sooner Woodgate learns to play the hand he was dealt rather than the hand he wanted the longer he will hang on to his job and keep the crowd onside.