Two moments of magic bamboozled Ipswich and underlined the Premier League pedigree of Boro’s fast-rising star striker.
Patrick Bamford rightly took the national press plaudits for a televised brace that ploughed up the Tractor Boys and eased Boro to a 4-1 win.
Obviously the Chelsea link makes for an easy intro for lazy journalists - but they were both classy finishes from a quality street striker quickly honing his skill set in a tough league. Bamford deserved the headlines and praise.
The first saw him burst behind a static defence onto a fine flick from Jelle Vossen to get into the box and round the keeper.
The second saw a perceptive dummy and spin to leave sheepish Smith rooted as he hared to the edge of the box to drill home a sweet low shot inside the far post.
Prolific Bamford is a class act with what are fast shaping up as incredible striking statistics.
The hitman has bagged 15 goals this season, which may not sound remarkable.
But when you consider that he wasn’t around for the first month and even after that spent a long spell after his arrival starting from the bench while he was instilled with Aitor’s “methodology and philosophy” it’s not bad.
Bamford has come off the bench six times, including his first three appearances.
That led the frustrated frontman to have a quiet word with the gaffer leading to his first start at home to Brentford, in which he got off the mark.
Throw in how often he been played out of his natural position - he has started on the right of “the three” 14 times and on the left three times and up front either alone or as part of a pair just 11 - and that makes his return look even more impressive.
And he doesn’t take penalties - except the extra-time leveller at Liverpool after spot-king Grant Leadbitter had already been subbed, and it starts to look a lot better. Imagine if he did.
Bamford has scored 15 in 34 in total this season. More than respectable.
But in the league the tally is 13 in 24 - that is well ahead of the one in two needed to be that mythical beast, the 20-a-season striker.
With just five goals to get in the last nine games would you bet against him hitting that mark?
Loan signing Patrick Bamford pictured on his Boro debut against Reading
The last Boro striker to score 20-plus in a season was Fabrizio Ravanelli back 1996-97 and given the posse of prolific poachers since, it would be some achievement to break that elusive barrier.
And incredibly, given that he has only been here seven months, he is on course to finish in the top five Championship goal-getters for the club.
Since relegation, only six players have scored more goals than Bamford: Scott McDonald (37), Marvin Emnes (24), Leadbitter (21), Leroy Lita (20), Barry Robson and Albert Adomah (both 17).
All of those managed at least two full seasons.
Add in Bamford’s strike rate in his previous loan spells - 21 in 40 starts and five sub appearances at MK Dons, eight in 14 starts and seven from the bench at Derby - and we have a serious goal-to-games ratio on our hands.
And he gets important goals too. None of this pretty but ineffectual last goal in a 3-0 win stuff.
Yes, the brace against Ipswich wrapped up the game but so often his goals are vital.
Seven times he’s scored the first goal to set Boro up for wins: Against Rotherham, Norwich, Derby, Cardiff, Manchester City, Charlton and Millwall.
And four times he has popped in an equaliser: At Liverpool, Wigan, Blackburn and Birmingham.
Middlesbrough's Patrick Bamford celebrates after scoring Boro's first goal.
Folklore has it that strikers often score in spurts, breaking the log-jam then running riot for a spell.
Bamford seems to follow that pattern this term.
He scored on his first two starts then went five games without netting.
Then followed a purple patch of six goals in seven games in which Boro went unbeaten in November and December.
Then followed another five without scoring then - BANG! Four in six including an superb bit of anticipation at Manchester City in a run of games in which the only defeat was away to awesome Arsenal.
There followed a fallow run of three more games only for Bamford to perk back up with three in three, the opener at Millwall then his double against Ipswich.
If that is the timely start of another spurt it could be pivotal to the season.
A goal at Derby or Bournemouth would be nice to steer Boro through the “Week of Destiny” safely and set up a barnstorming finale.
If Bamford gets the goals to take him through the 20 barrier it would probably put Boro on the brink of promotion.
And it would put them in pole position to secure him for next term too.
Boro want to keep Bamford and all the signs are he wants to stay.
But the next stage pencilled in for Bamford’s Chelsea development is a season long loan to a Premier League club.
If he can keep his current strike rate up - and keep notching at crucial times - Boro will be up and that would solve the problem for both clubs.
No comments:
Post a Comment