Boro a goal up in the sixth minute: WHITTAKER, assisted by Burgzorg - CJ:
Boro lead! Whittaker again! Lovely low ball across the box from Burgzorg, Whittaker runs on to it unmarked and produces an excellent finish into the bottom corner.
This is ridiculous now against Conway, 100% penalty again, quite clearly referees have got Conways card marked.
Inexplicable refereeing decision not to award Boro a penalty after a clear foul on Conway by Lumley!
I think goalkeepers can't be given a red card now if they concede a penalty as the last man.
Almost half time.
This game should be all over with the chances and non giving of a penalty against a poor Sheffield team. Tempo of the game has dropped which helps Sheffield and it’s noticeable that Bannan is starting to play further forward. Sheffield playing more confidently.
Boro need to play with more intensity and get a second goal - then they can play a more relaxed way.
philip of Huddersfield 👎
@werdermouth Whittaker playing well, again. I don't hink he was bad versus Ipswich and he has been very good today.
Two goals in two matches. He is getting better. Well done by him.
Up the Boro!
Yes it's been comfortable with Wednesday mainly playing long balls and sitting deep - Boro have had enough decent chances to make it very comfortable and of course should've had a spot kick. I'd like to see Edward's freshen it up at HT as a second goal is needed to avoid any mishaps against what is essentially a poor side and club destined for League One.
Watching the first half highlights now. Conway could have scored a brace. Especially the header over the bar from two yards out. And with VAR, he would have had a penalty awarded.
As Philip said, we need to up the tempo a bit in the second half. Up the Boro!
Half time and 1-0. Only ok - no more.
Sheffield will be thinking we’ve been outplayed, Boro have missed chances, we got away with the penalty and so we’ve nothing to lose . So we’ll give it a go and attack as we started to do towards the end of the first half.
Boro, for their part have to start the second half as they did the first and get a quick second goal - hopefully more and put the game to bed.
The longer it’s 1-0 , the more it suits Sheffield.
I expect to see early attacking substitutes.
Philip of Huddersfield 👎👎
ps Goalkeepers can concede a penalty as last man and be sent off. A sending off offence is a sending off offence whichever player commits the offence wherever he is on the pitch.
@werdermouth ah ok, wasn't aware of that. But yes 100% penalty and the only reason it wasn't given is because it is Conway who, unfortunately, has gained himself a reputation but thats twice now already that he has been denied two clear penalties.
Just over 5 minutes into the second half and , but for Brynn, Sheffield would have scored 2 goals. Boro not yet at the races.
philip👎👎
Their keeper looks pretty decent too...
Nypan on for Strelec in the 55th minute.
Their keeper looks pretty decent too...
CJ in the 62nd minute:
Joe bloody Lumley
That's an unbelievable save. Browne coming in at the back post, lovely connection on the volley, Lumley somehow stretches and tips it over. Great save. Very frustrating for Boro.
They have wrestled back the momentum in this match after the slow start to the second half at least.
Lumley is having an impressive debut but how many chances does Conway need before he scores?
philip👎
Boro have lost the midfield this half, and not helped by some very poor passing in the final third by our forwards
Job done. Lumley was excellent.
Back to four point cushion over the third team.
Up the Boro!
Said i would take a scrappy 1-0 win and thats exactly what we got.
Lumley had a blinder, was always going to happen but he got away with one.
Alan Browne MOM for me and for sky sports.
Move on, 3pts.
We’re going to have to take our chances if we’re going to maintain our league position. Strelec seemed particularly anonymous tonight and for all the effort he undoubtedly gives, Conway still doesn’t look like a prolific goal scorer.
We’ll bank the three points and move on to Saturday’s game.
In the end that was basically phew! Boro couldn't build on the early goal but that was in large part down to Joe Lumley who was equal to what our attack could muster - though it's an attack that is still something of a work in progress.
OK, Edwards gave Burgzorg and Whittaker another start after their roles in beating Ipswich but while Whittaker looked much better you would think it's time some of the summer signings were given pitch time to sharpen up and make connections. Nypan gave the team balance when he came on and but for all Conway's work rate he missed enough decent chances to question whether that is enough?
You feel the key to Boro getting to the next level (Ok I know we're 4 points clear of 3rd) will depend on scoring goals - at the moment we're dependent on an excellent defence and keeper and a solid midfield that has the best defensive record in the league. That 3-0 win at Millwall remains the only time Boro have managed more than a single goal advantage - which is perhaps a fine margin too fine for comfort.
Anyway, well done to the team on what turned out to be a hard-fought three points and now a solid second place to defend!
Agreed. If we don't take any of our chances then it is going to come down to the defensive organisation and, finally, the battle in midfield. I thought that Jones had a tremendous game as well as Browne and Fry, Brittain and Target were really solid when needed in the second half.
I'm not a great believer in xG but, tonight, it will probably show that Boro could have scored 5 or 6. In fact, what am I saying, Conway himself could have scored four - how he missed that header, I have no idea - and should have had a stone-wall penalty.
Hats off to Wednesday who showed a lot of guts, particularly in the second half. On top of that Lumley inevitably had a remarkable game. A string of good saves.
This was a scrappy win but not one where we pinched it but rather one where we should have scored four or five. I'll take that and move on.
UTB
Happy with the 3 points but not with the performance. I believe the team are capable of playing much better.
Boro are supposedly the second best team in the Championship playing the team at the bottom. I feel the defenders won the game for Boro with Browne outstanding. The rest, as a group, were disappointing. Eg Conway apart from his running ( knackered after an hour) does little, Strelec looked off the pace, Burgzong was back to normal - often offside and missed a good chance and the longer the game went on Boro’s attacking threat looked more ineffective. Passing not good enough - Bannan showed how to pass - always does.
Am I being too critical ?
Does anyone rate tonight’s performance as if Boro are destined to achieve big things this season ?
from a frustrated Philip of Huddersfield 👍👎🤔🤔
What’s not to like?
3 points
Winning despite not being at our best
Championship is a slog
Move onto next game
Rinse and repeat until the end of the season and see where it gets us
UTB
@philip-of-huddersfield I do tend to agree Phil but I think it is clear that we are still very much work in progress built on a solid foundation in defence and midfield.
I aren't critical of Conway for missing his header it was virtually under the bar and he was under the ball, very difficult to place that header under the bar.
What i will say though is that there is quite clearly a referee school against Conway, yes he had built his own reputation, but two very obvious penalties not given in recent games is a concern, I genuinely think that penalty given, that penalty scored and we all see a very different game.
It was well versed pre-game that there is no easy games in the championship and tonight just proved it, on the positive that game last season we wouldn't have won.
As has already been said, we cannot keep expecting the defence to keep a clean and as Philip said, win us the game.
OK, people will if we had got the stonewall penalty “and scored” although there would have been a good chance Lumley would have saved it, then maybe it would have been a different game.
However, what one can say at this moment, the forwards and also the midfield, just do not look to have the ruthless attacking ability to score sufficient goals, that ultimately we will need if we are to keep at the top of the table.
Whittaker was a little better than of late, with another well taken goal, but he was always on the periphery of the game.
I have seen nothing in Strelec to impress me yet. Conway at least puts in the miles, and gets on the end of chances. Burgzorg was back to normal tonight and Sene did nothing when he came on. IMO neither did Nypan.
Mr Edwards and his team appear to have a rather difficult task ahead getting this team to score goals.
MotM. Alan Browne plus the defenders close behind.
I think MoM was Lumley (who must have been a different player in disguise when he was at Boro) and I was concerned every time Barry Bannan got near to the ball.
According to a website, the attendance was only 7,081 at Hillsborough yesterday. And with the sold out 3,699 Middlesbrough contingent included, there were more Boro fans than home fans (about 52 %).
I cannot see the attendance on the BBC web page, for example. But the stands looked sparce except the away end. The atmosphere was strange.
But at least the result was better than in April. Up the Boro!
Bit of a tough watch overall last night.
Conway profligate, Whittaker lightweight again despite the goal, Burgzorg back to his frustrating worst despite the assist, Strelec with a shocking performance and the ref very poor as well.
However, Hackney and the fullbacks worked hard, Fry and especially Browne were very good.
In the end, the Championship is a grind and a midweek away match is exactly the sort of fixture where teams slip up, especially in such a strange atmosphere.
A clean sheet again, three points - no-one will remember or care at the end of the season.
@andy-r. Excellent summary thanks Andy, especially regarding Whittaker and Burgzorg. Browne and Targett might turn out to be the top of the summer recruitments. 😎