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Match Report: Middlesbrough 2 v 0 Derby County
Match Report: Middlesbrough 2 v 0 Derby County
Wednesday, 21st Oct 2009 09:55

Derby County had to deal with another large dose of terrible luck in their 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough but the biggest loser on the night ended up being Gareth Southgate, who was sacked immediately after the match.

 

The 3 points that Boro claimed took them to within a point of the top of the Championship table and arrested a 3 game losing streak but still was not enough to save Southgate. The club announced they had parted company shortly after the game.

And we thought we had problems!

Perhaps it was in the manner that Middlesbrough won that was the issue as they were largely as ineffective on a horror night for the Rams. The fact they could not replicate a Cardiff like destruction with Derby on their knees, may have been the last straw.

Derby has not won away this season and would struggle to rectify that as they were forced to replace the consistent Stoor with Connolly due to injury. Lee Croft got the chop after a poor display at Leicester and was replaced by an out of position Jay McEveley who operated on the left while Teale switched to the right.

The home side were doing the attacking early on and it was only due to good work from a desperate Barker that they did not take a very early lead.

After 12 minutes the Rams season was summed up Kris Commons injured his hamstring and was replaced by Dickov. He got into the action immediately when a neat one-two with Hulse nearly resulted in a goal with the ball flashing just wide of the post.

It would have been funny if not so heart breaking that 20 minutes came and McEveley went after a challenge with Lita fractured his cheekbone. Croft was on and it was Derby 2-0 down, in substitutes used anyway.

Derby couldn’t buy a penalty kick on Saturday against the foxes when it seemed they should have been handed a couple and barely a minute after Jay left the pitch, irony rubbed salt into their many wounds.

The referee in his wisdom decided Barker had brought down Johnson when to most it looked more like he had done little more than hold his ground and Johnson proceeded to fall over him. Johnson stepped up to take the spot kick and slotted it home to give the home team a controversial lead.

The pressure was on the Rams having taken three early body blows in the game but they fought on with some good play that belied the opening events of the game.

Boro probed but the defence held resolute and Barker in particular helped the Rams maintain the score line with some great last ditch challenges. His efforts were to be applauded as he continued to throw himself at the feet of attackers in a way that defenders usually avoid after a penalty decision.

Dickov continued to try and make things happen as he continually tried to play Hulse in from deeper positions on the pitch. Their work was to no avail as the good work more often than not led to nothing as build ups were squandered and players dispossessed.

HT: 1-0

The second half opened in a promising fashion after Dean Moxey got involved to earn Derby a corner. Dean Leacock got his head to the resulting delivery but only managed to put his effort wide.

Derby looked as likely as Boro to score with the game struggling to find a spark and begging for a player to step up and take it by the scruff of the neck.

Dickov was trying hard to become that player as he launched a thirty yard screamer on goal. The Boro keeper managed to hold onto the powerful effort as he dived truly to cover the ball.

Just as the Rams had begun to look like they might be good for an equaliser it was instead the Teesiders who once again found the back of the net.

On 72 minutes Johnson was again the culprit as he cut inside and his looping effort from just inside the box beat Bywater and scraped into the corner of the Rams net.

Derby tried hard to conjure a goal with Teale volleying brilliantly only to be met by an equally brilliant block by Wheater. Dickov also came close narrowly missing with a great strike that curled wide.

As the Rams pushed for a goal they could have easily conceded another had it not been for good work by both Bywater and Leacock who saved the day on separate occasions.

As the game wound down future prospect Greg Mills entered the fray and nearly made an instant impact as he headed into the side netting from a corner.

A night of woe and near misses were far from enough as the Rams went down fighting.

FT: 2–0

There is no doubt Derby didn’t just draw the short straw in this game, in fact it seems they didn’t manage to find a straw at all.

The game was pretty much over at the twenty minute mark and although their play was never spectacular, they fashioned chances without having the luck or quality for one to actually go in.

Injuries, referees and irony aside it seems that the only person who can genuinely feel aggrieved is Gareth Southgate. Not many managers find themselves unemployed after a victory that puts them within a whisker of topping the league table.

Perhaps Southgate was already gone in the minds of those in charge, or perhaps it was the fact that his squad struggled to finish off a team that could barely field a full side and had exhausted two thirds of its subs with only twenty minutes gone. Whatever the reason, whoever inherits the job will find themselves with a good squad, in a great position.

From the Rams point of view, without the generous penalty decision they may very well have managed at least a point or even victory as the pressure would have built on the under fire home side. As it stands Derby walked away with nothing except for a longer injury list and another referee to despise.

Derby will now need to try and regroup quickly in time for Saturday and the visit of both QPR and the BBC, as they face not just their home fans but the eyes of the world.

No pressure boys.

Match Facts

Middlesbrough:
Jones, Hoyte, Wheater, St Ledger, Bennett, Williams, O'Neil, Johnson, Digard (Yeates 81), Lita, Aliadiere (Emnes 90)

Subs: Coyne, Pogatetz, Walker, Grounds, McMahon

Derby County:
Bywater, Connolly, Barker, Leacock, Moxey, Teale (Mills 79), Livermore, Savage, McEveley (Croft 20), Commons (Dickov 12), Hulse

Subs: Deeney, Hendrie, Buxton

Goals: Johnson (22 Pen , 59)

Bookings: Williams, Lita, Wheater, Hulse, Connolly

Referee: J Moss

Attendance: 17,459 inc. 385 travelling Rams 

Daniel J's man of the match:

Paul Dickov - for trying to make things happen.

 

Photo: Action Images



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