Neil Warnock made four changes from the Bristol defeat with both Tavernier and Roberts coming in to add some energy going forward. The first half was a tentative scrappy affair for the first quarter with neither team posing much threat on goal.
Reading took the lead from a poorly defended corner while a groggy Saville was off the pitch after blocking a cross with his chin. Boro haven't usually responded well to falling behind but it was another Roberts-Fletcher combination that got Neil Warnock's team back on level terms just before the interval.
Boro started to play some football in the second half with Tavernier proving to be a creative force as the team searched for a winner - Roberts nearly made the breakthrough but hit it straight at the keeper when he had the goal at his mercy. Then with ten minutes to go another good move started by Tavernier was fed to Johnson who cut it back into the box, which this time was struck perfectly into the corner by Roberts to put Boro ahead.
It was then a case of game management a few subs made and the players pressed and harried and defended the goal like their futures depended on it. The whistle finally blew and Boro have reached 50 points and hopefully secured their Championship status.
A job well done by all the players with many having a good game from Saville in midfield, Dijksteel at right-back, Johnson on the left plus Fletcher and Roberts in attack but it was probably Tavernier who proved to be the catalyst between midfield and attack who perhaps edged MOM.
That'll do very nicely.
Get in!
A good battling display against a Reading side that weren’t exactly giving it everything. But who cares?
Fry, Friend and Tav were the pick of the bunch for me though Saville was also very good. Roberts excites and frustrates in almost equal measure but delivered the winner today. His ability to make something happen along with the energy of Tavernier is vital for this team.
No weak links but a lot of tired legs. A fantastic and much needed result.
Controlling the tears! We might escape relegation!
It was obviously my decision to drink a whole bottle of wine that was the decisive point.
We played a quicker game and Tav was the star though Roberts creating and scoring the goals pushed him. Terrific team performance. They were all committed to the BORO.
Great win and a committed and energetic performance all round. Tav immense. The lad not only has great skill but possesses the best engine in the club. Why hasn't he been the first name on the team sheet since Warnock arrived? There can be no dropping him now.
As I said at half-time there were no weak links. Both Friend and Saville had their best games for months, and Fry was imperious. Roberts scored a great goal to atone for his previous miss and played very well, as did Howson. Pears missed one high ball but otherwise had little to do. My only quibble is that Britt didn't put himself about as might have been expected for the last 18 minutes. He should have been dashing like a Dervish. Everyone else was. And none more so than Tav. Well done lads.
Shows how much I know, thankfully it wasn’t 5 at the back as I feared but a much more solid 4-4-2. Lots of players stood up to be counted today and the effort was there to see.
Still too many wayward balls but no shortage in the will to win it back. Hopefully Championship status has been secured barring some shock results. If NW is planning to stay all well and good but he seems to have achieved his main aim, which was to avoid relegation.
Phew! Nearly there!
This was a great team performance, with every man battling and scrapping for every ball. I feared the worst when we learned pre-kick off that Shottinho has gone, as that left us with just the one recognised central defender in Fry. But today the makeshift back four was tremendous, apart from allowing Reading to score too easily. Tav was a clear MOM, but I would give everyone else an 8 (that includes Hull City, too!!) I agree with Len that Friend and Saville were excellent, and I thought Johnson also had a very good game. He’s a very good crosser of the ball and I would definitely sign him on again next season, if he’ll stay.
In my last post I said I wasn’t yet convinced by Roberts. There were still some blind alley runs today, and some misplaced passes from promising positions, but he generally buzzed about causing problems, and he took his second clear chance well for his goal. So I’ll say my jury is still out on him but I’m looking more favourably on his case now. Not that this matters - he’s unlikely to stay and we can’t afford him anyway.
@grovehillwallah I think it was a 4231 in the end. The way Saville and Howson worked together, I think there was some promise setting up like that. In truth we no longer have enough centre backs to play three at the back.
I didn't watch tonight as we seem to loose every time I do, so i'll keep that up for the next two.
.
Great result, it looked grim at one down so winning feels all the better.
Personally I think 50 will keep us up but another point on Saturday would make the last match a lot less stressful.
Luton currently drawing so as it stands we are five points clear.
I wouldn't want to be a Hull supporter, nightmare
lose even
I've been told that I can come out from behind the couch now. I refuse, I have a bottle of Estrella and I'm staying here until daylight. 1 - 2 that's a cheap ploy, daylight will reveal all. Did Boro really win? I may steal out and nick the bottle of Rioja and drown my sorrows. Or maybe even quietly celebrate if it's true...
UTB,
John
That's a relief and the rest of the results tonight were good. Not mathematically safe but it would now take a very strange set of results for us to go down. We have to lose both remaining games, one of Hull or Luton have to win both their remaining games, Charlton have to win 2 of their 3 remaining games, Huddersfield have to win 1 of their 2 remaining, Wigan have to win both their remaining games (one of which is against Charlton), Stoke and Birmingham both have to win one of their remaining games (but Birmingham have to lose their game against Charlton).
That was a big, big win so we’ll done NW and the team. We looked a decent side in the second half and a lot of the good things centred around Tavernier. Based on that performance he should be a fixture in the team.
It certainly strange how supporting Boro becomes an obsession. September will make it 35 years since I moved to Penrith but the Boro are the only team I support (though I do look out for Barcelona and Liverpool results). After a mainly disastrous season, avoiding relegation will be a success!
I can see why some supporters criticise Steve Gibson and I cannot understand how, as a successful business man, he has allowed the Boro to be run so disastrously. In the end, the Boro would not exist if Steve Gibson didn't feel the same as me as a supporter and I cannot see a (foreign) billionaire coming in and putting lots of money into a club with so little successful history. I hope we have now got enough points to stay in the Championship. I have no idea what will next season but I will be there when allowed even though my rail fare, hotel and evening meal usually cost over £100. There is only one BORO.
Well I think most of us on here got that result totally wrong. We rode our luck at times, did not make the most of our chances but ended up winning 2-1.
How is it we can blow so hot and cold, a complete mystery. When you look at the table and see the number of draws we have, it makes one think, what if we had just another half a dozen goals.
Told this evening Shotton did not want to play any more games, so NW told him to go. Not sure if it is true, but if he is only injured, why has he left the club. I thought he signed an extension until the season end!
@boroexile Well Plato has been saying that all season. 😊
This should have been a reply to Boroexile
Well, well, well
perhaps the biggest result of the night was Luton’s draw. Permutations time...
Barnsley can’t catch us
Luton and Hull play each other next. A draw - and we are safe. If one wins - the other can’t catch us.
a point in our next 2 games would take it down to goal difference if one of Hull/Luton win their last two. A win and we are safe regardless.
So keep your fingers crossed for a Luton v Hull draw that relegates both of them (pending Wigan points deduction...)
Just home after celebrating my oldest friend from school days 60th - an all afternoon job! Delighted to have seen that we have won - a perfect end and hopefully safe now?
UTB
It certainly strange how supporting Boro becomes an obsession. September will make it 35 years since I moved to Penrith but the Boro are the only team I support (though I do look out for Barcelona and Liverpool results). After a mainly disastrous season, avoiding relegation will be a success!
I can see why some supporters criticise Steve Gibson and I cannot understand how, as a successful business man, he has allowed the Boro to be run so disastrously. In the end, the Boro would not exist if Steve Gibson didn't feel the same as me as a supporter and I cannot see a (foreign) billionaire coming in and putting lots of money into a club with so little successful history. I hope we have now got enough points to stay in the Championship. I have no idea what will next season but I will be there when allowed even though my rail fare, hotel and evening meal usually cost over £100. There is only one BORO.
David- I was only 3 when I moved away from Middlesbrough and have followed them from afar from just over 50 years now- it is an obsession that cannot be stopped! Both my children who weren’t even born anywhere near Middlesbrough have developed the same affliction!
i blame my father (born on Costa Street) for it all but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
UTB - the Boro’s staying up!
I think Barnsley can catch us, Smog, as they have 43 points but 3 games still to play. However, they would need to win all 3 games, as their goal difference is much worse than ours. Given that their 3 games are against Leeds, Brentford and Forest, my educated hunch is that they won’t pick up 9 points!
It certainly strange how supporting Boro becomes an obsession. September will make it 35 years since I moved to Penrith but the Boro are the only team I support (though I do look out for Barcelona and Liverpool results). After a mainly disastrous season, avoiding relegation will be a success!
Caught the bug as a 14 year old Redcarite - it's never gone, even though I went to Uni in Lancaster in 1990 and never really moved back, been in the north-west ever since then. I started supporting them after the World Cup in 86, just in time for Boro to escape liquidation and start their astonishing fight-back. It's been... an experience. I've tried following other teams - flirted with Man City back in the mid-1990s when they were safely shite and the similarities with my own team were too close to not make me like them, though I feel little affiliation with what they have become. But you never lose your club, do you? Even though they often test my patience, this season more than most...
Trouble sleeping at the moment, and unfortunately I snoozed all the way through this evening's game, but I was overjoyed to wake up and realise we'd crept over the line. Nearly there now boys, though how we are where we are is a proper stinker. Some awful comments on here about potentially relying on other sides being docked points to see us over the line - absolutely not a critique of the comments nor the commentators, more the horrible shame that comes with thinking things like this when Boro should have enough to do the job regardless of what happens elsewhere. Still, as long as we are shedding players the summer should be interesting, no?
Well, clearly my going to bed and not watching - it was a 3.00am kickoff here in Sydney - made the big difference. Not sure if I now dare watch the Cardiff game.
Looking at the various matches to come, we’re close to being safe already and one more point should see us there. It’s worth a bit of analysis to understand why we have lost at home and won away. Somehow the comfort of home has become unfamiliar.
Personally, I’m sad to see Shotton go. For me, he was the embodiment of a good pro but understand perfectly that, because he is carrying an injury, he needs to look after himself if he wants one more good contract. I wish him all the best.
It’s interesting to read the stories of fellow bloggers who left Teesside but have remained locked-in supporters. Add me to the list. My family left in 1968 aged 15 but I have never lost my love of the Boro and never come close to supporting anybody else although I do have a soft spot for Belgium having lived there for a while.
Anyway, it looks as if we may have battled through this crisis and, looking at the strong list of young players coming through, suddenly optimism is flowing. Is NW the person to build the future squad? I don’t know but he seems to be such a solid guy and a great man manager. Maybe we need him for a year even if just to advise the next manager. How would things have gone if he had been sitting on Woodgate’s shoulder?
utb
Looking at the fixtures, all that we need is for Leeds to beat Barnsley on Thursday and for Luton and Hull to draw on Saturday. That would see us safe.
Having read all of the post match comments I would like to add to the list of players getting “pats on the back” and that is for Dijksteel, who I thought had an excellent game when you consider how long he has been out with a serious injury, a definite foil for Spence, who in my opinion has not had his best couple of games, including tonight.
I thought Saville was very strong and got through a tremendous amount of work. I would certainly give Johnson a new contract, some great crosses tonight, we have the basis of a good strong young team with a few decent signings (there is the problem) we could develop into a promotion side in the next few years. Unfortunately I think it is time to let Friend go, I wouldn’t keep Morrison Or Nmecha, I am not convinced about Wing either, Browne and Bola I haven’t seen enough of to make a proper judgement.
Come on BORO.
In the end Boro finally took their golden opportunity to reach the magic 50 points and climbed to the dizzy heights of 17th place. Many were beginning to wonder if the team had what it takes to battle their way out of the relegation mire that they'd been wallowing in for most of the season and were fearing the worst. Anyway, one man who always has what it takes as he fearlessly reports on the many scary moments following Boro is here to give his thoughts on events at Reading - it's Redcar Red with his match report...
Redcar Red,
Thank you for your report on yet another away win and let's all hope we are safe now although I'm sure that there will be a few twists and turns yet. Why, oh why can't Boro do the same thing at the Riverside? That's definitely something to be sorted out, bring on the hypnotist it is, or maybe Mr Warnock bellowing in the collective ear will do the trick? Anyway another huge result for Boro, one more win please.
I'm going to tidy up behind the couch now.
UTB,
John
RedcarRed, many thanks for the report. It is essential especially for one who was not able to watch the game.
The Finnish Football Assosiation are arranging offial matces for over 50 year old players in a League. So we had a match yesterday at the same time when Boro played. It was our second match of the delayed football season. After loosing the first match 7-1, we were able to win yesterday by 4-2.
So yesterday was one of the best days for a while. Two wins on the same day. I consider the Boro win more important as we play mainly to keep fit.
My best mate at our team was asking about the Boro result after our match. Mind, my football team has played against some former Boro stars in 2015. Hence many of my pals have Boro as their second favourite team. So we were delighted with the Boro result.
So it was an essential win for Boro. I cannot see us going down any more. But it will be interesting to see if Wigan can survive. After a 8-0 win, their have a chance to stay above the current bottom three. I think they are above the drop zone now on goal difference.
Wigan's form has been impressive. Perhaps it is a bit like Boro in 1986. The players started to fight for their lives. That is a small miracle as it could so easily go wrong, too.
Happy days. Let's enjoy it until Saturday, at least. Up the Boro!
Is the a league table that shows the situation with Wigan with their 12 reduction of points somewhere? That would be interesting to follow now.Up the Boro!
Just to point out that if Charlton lose at Birmingham tonight then Boro are essentially safe no matter what they do unless Barnsley win their last three games against Leeds, Forest and Brentford - plus Wigan have their 12-point penalty rescinded.
The reason being is that because Wigan play Charlton and Luton play Hull at the weekend, it means two of those four teams will end the season with less than 50 points if Charlton don't add to their total tonight.
So come on Birmingham!
Thanks RR. Whay a difference it makes to be reading about a Boro team that played like it wanted to win. You must write like that more often...
Warnock will know a lot about Cardiff, so I would not be surprised that we don't get at least the one point we need for guaranteed survival. I imagine the relief around the club and the squad after last night will be huge. I can also imagine that will translate into a couple of decent results in the final fixtures.
CoB