Silvera on for Edmundson in the 40th minute - injury! 🙁
@stircrazy Not serious - long term. His eye was buried to "closed"and he can hardly see with it.Eye completely closed shoot with swelling.
Targett moved to the cenre and Silvera on.
Up the Boro!
So the game is as tight as expected with not much time on the ball and the space condensed - Boro have kept their shape and discipline well and are keeping West Brom at arm's length but we should be grateful for a training ground move that led to the goal - and gets Strelec off the mark.
No room for any more defensive injuries and it does make us weaker for the second half - we could do with another early goal and Conway has worked hard again but it will take a piece of quality to unlock their defence I think!
So far so good at 1-0. Boro look to be playing within themselves.
Hopefully this is not going to be a central defender injury problem- Fry out, Lenihan not ok yet for 2 consecutive games and now Edmundson unluckily injured.
i will be pleased with a one goal win but it would be nice if Boro can nick another goal.
Still a long way to go as I expect WBA to show more attacking threats in the second half half.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍😁
Good goal from a throw in and knock on. Would you believe it.
Now we have lost another CB, hopefully only for tonight.
We have played quite well on the break and also restricted WBA to very few real chances despite their high possession. However at times the midfield looks to be over run. HH not really have a lot of influence. I think as the game goes on, we may have to swop one of Conway or Strelec for somebody with more pace to press their defence.
Lets hope the Boro players legs can keep up the tempo of chasing WBA.
Looks like Edwards agreed with you! Sene on for Strelec
There's an argument for switching to a back four and playing an extra man in midfield
First 10 minutes of the second half and it’s all WBA . Boro need to get a foothold in the game asap
philip of Huddersfield
Sène makes it 2-0 in the 61st minute, assisted by HH. Another maiden goal! 🙂
Great goal of quality to make it 2-0!!
Sène makes it 2-0 in the 61st minute, assisted by HH. Another maiden goal! 🙂
Comment from the Beeb:
Boro boss Rob Edwards knows what he's doing, doesn't he? Replacing goal scorer David Strelec with Kaly Sène at half-time raised a few question marks, but Sène proves it was the right call as he rifles in his first goal for the club.
Browne on for Conway in the 63rd minute, Kante & Whittaker on for HH & Nypan in the 80th.
Thank God for that second goal: the Baggies pull one back in the dying minutes to make it 2-1. Five minutes of injury time...
It finishes 2-1 & we are STILL top of the league! 🙂
Overall an accomplished performance. Pity about their late goal but irrelevant when compared to the score of 2-1.
Yet again good use of substitutes.
And TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Philip of Huddersfield
👍😁😄
Another win and by my predicted score. What the heck’s happening?
This Boro team look like they know how to win games - they backed up a training ground first goal with a second of quality and beauty with half-a-dozen one-touch passes that bamboozled the Baggies defence. But overall they kept their shape and tried to manage the game with only one lapse in concentration at the end as they tired.
What impressed me most was the how the management team not only discussed and identified the problems on the pitch but made the changes without procrastination or favour to any player.
As for the players, Ayling gave a captain's performance and Conway gave every ounce of energy - with Nypan looking more impressive with each game too. Boro have plenty of options and at the moment the management team are playing their cards very well and the players are showing real grit and determination and starting to give glimpses of what quality they can offer. It looks a well-balanced squad and it's a team leading the way in the Championship!
Another fantastic night under the lights.
16pts from 18, wow, pinch yerself, who would have thought.
That was a very tough game that we have come through with a great win, defensive changes, players swapping positions but all in it together and working their socks off, its so refreshing.
And to top it off a really stunning team goal finished excellently by Sene.
Haven't seen it back yet but think Brynn will be disappointed in their goal, though apart from that he commanded his box all night and a couple of good saves.
Got to mention Ayling, absolute awesome all game, played his part in the first goal but just defended fantastically all night.
I will sleep very well tonight.
Totally agree. The team is well coached, has a great work ethic and shape. As you say, we have a competent and proactive management team who make the right calls and continue to impress. We have some quality upfront so if we can get a full complement of defenders back, we have a great chance. UTB
it was a stunning goal. There was at least 14 passes that resulted in that deft touch from Hackney for Sène to finish confidently.This Boro team look like they know how to win games - they backed up a training ground first goal with a second of quality and beauty with half-a-dozen one-touch passes that bamboozled the Baggies defence...
When was the last time we had a set piece goal scored from a long throw ? I can’t remember one at all.
This Boro team fought all the way and Conway was terrific with his running and work rate.
Enjoyed it !
OFB
What’s that glow over Teesside? It’s the smiles of thousands of Boro fans. Some tough fixtures to come but I wouldn’t bet against us continuing this run of results.
And yes, I’m aware that I’m the only forum member who’s presided over less than a win as starter author.
Another solid win. Largely untroubled at the back all game really as the hard work and organisation, mixed in with an opposition that isn’t the most creative, kept WBA at arms length for the majority of the match. Whilst they had long spells of possession I never felt that we weren’t in control. The late goal was really a positioning error from Brynn as he got caught between coming to collect and backing off - his only mistake in an otherwise perfect performance.
Having not been able to watch a Boro league match in full since the opener against Swansea, I might be in a slightly unique position to gauge how the team and playing style has developed since then.
Firstly, the team on show last night is undoubtedly a better one than we started with. The likes of Strelec and Nypan may still be finding their feet but the talent and potential is quite a big step forward from Burgzorg and Whittaker I think, whilst having a real athlete like Sene to bring on is almost luxurious at this level.
Style-wise it’s clear that Boro have taken one step back - in a good way - from the long ball of the opening day and are trying to play some football. We saw it most notably with the brilliant second goal - a fleeting moment of Carrickball breaking out from almost nowhere - but there was also evidence throughout the game that Hackney will get plenty of the ball at his feet. A good sign and a step in the right direction for me.
I still feel that it was very much a defence-first setup and, being honest, there wasn’t much to get us off our seats other than that second goal but you cannot fault the effort, organisation and determination and also have to take the opposition into account, West Brom being a very decent Championship side who are probably also better at the defensive side.
So, the momentum goes on, top of the league and looking well set AND, from an attacking point of view, I think there’s more to come.
Attendance at Riverside Stadium was 27,803. A good amount but it will still grow in the future. Up the Boro!Well we’re here and apparently it’s nearly a sell out tonight !
come on Boro
OFB
@original-fat-bob Tommy Conway epitomises everything that is going well at the moment. Whenever any Boro player scores, he is first in there to congratulate the scorer and you can see that he's genuinely happy for them and the team. That's the outlook that takes teams up and while there are probably a few better players at the club, he is my favourite by some distance.
Goal celebrations say a lot about any club and that ours are all a communal affair (Luke Ayling is another player who seems genuinely delighted for whoever has scored) reflects the current spirit. There is no self posturing or infantile me-me-me antics and it's this togetherness, fostered by leaders like Ayling and Conway that will dictate where we finish this season. It's really good to see.
Don't want to pile the pressure on Sverre Nypan but anybody else get the feeling he has great similarities to a little man who graced the Riverside in the late 90s/early 2000.
Still early days for him, his first start last night, he was ready to come off at 80, but I just see him getting better and better as the season goes on. The way the ball sticks at his feet, how he picks up deep and runs at defences, can glide past the opposition, has the ability with the short intricate passing but also the ability to pick out a defence splitting pass, has a great shot on him and he will score goals.
Man City have an excellent young player and I think we will all be celebrating his talent this season.
Really like Conway, 100% commitment every time he steps on the pitch, very much a team player and brings so much to the team alongside his goals, however, I think he is getting himself a reputation amongst referees for going down too easily which is something he needs to be aware of.@original-fat-bob Tommy Conway epitomises everything that is going well at the moment. Whenever any Boro player scores, he is first in there to congratulate the scorer and you can see that he's genuinely happy for them and the team. That's the outlook that takes teams up and while there are probably a few better players at the club, he is my favourite by some distance.
Goal celebrations say a lot about any club and that ours are all a communal affair (Luke Ayling is another player who seems genuinely delighted for whoever has scored) reflects the current spirit. There is no self posturing or infantile me-me-me antics and it's this togetherness, fostered by leaders like Ayling and Conway that will dictate where we finish this season. It's really good to see.
@andy-r - That summary is spot-on. It's good to reflect that, although there were bits of good football in there, Boro managed a win against a very decent Championship team (one probably going to be in the top six at the season's end) DESPITE giving the clear impression that there is more to come.
It feels as if there may be a couple of extra gears in there, which bodes well for the future.
I am delighted @OFB got to the game and that he saw a win. At the end of the day we all know what this season is about: the word few dared to think about before the season began, let alone put into black and white in a medium where its presence in a Blog could easily come back to haunt the presumptous supporter at the end of the season.
Promotion, even if you have a team so good that it runs away with the league (here's looking at you, Jack Charlton), is usually a long slog through fixtures home and away through almost ten months, in the sunshine and warmth, through the grey and damp of autumn and then the grim cold of winter, until the prize becomes so very real and almost within touching distance in the spring.
Points won now are points that don't have to be won later. It's all about the wins and getting to the finish line in gold or silver medal position. Obviously to win comfortably after playing expansive football is great. But in the real world those "perfect games" come mixed in with others where gritty performances have to be ground out. The three points count the same for a close win in September as they do for a storming performance in April.
It is a good sign that a team can win, yet still give the appearance it can do BETTER. There will, of course over the length of a season, be some unlucky performances: a bad refereeing decision here or there, a man sent off, an inexplicable mix-up in defence or a serious injury to a key player. But at least if you have points in the bag, you can take those events in your stride. What you don't want or need is to have to play catch-up. Let the others chase Boro.
It is a good feeling to begin the weekend with another win. To know that, whatever happens in other games, Boro will still be clear league leaders when the next round of games begins.
Better to be a leader than a follower. It might just be that Boro had found its Leader in Rob Edwards. I don't want to go too far, too soon, and he could still turn out to be a very naughty boy. But the initial signs are very good. No chickens being counted but enthusiasm for the game, which had been waning over the previous season, is returning. It's like watching new shoots appear on the plants in the garden. So uplifting, so joyous! And I am REALLY pleased OFB was there to see last night's win. I'll bet that lifted his spirits! It's just what the doctor ordered.
Lovely to hear the reception the supporters gave to Morgan Whittaker. The manager's rebuke at Preston was heeded and the fans responded so very positively.