CLICK STATS TAB ABOVE FOR MATCH OVERVIEW (desktop website only)
BORO clawed from behind to grab a nervous 1-1 draw and claim top spot in the Championship.
Aitor Karanka's side were subdued, shapeless and scrappy in a poor quality first half and were punished for a defensive error as keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos was sent off trying to deal with a poor back pass and Paul Caddis scored the resulting penalty.
But the ten men looked brighter and more urgent after the break and while it still wasn't a classic Boro forced a leveller through Patrick Bamford.
There was a tense finish but Boro held on to nudge one point ahead of summit rivals Derby and Bournemouth.
Boro made four changes from the side that lost 2-0 in the FA Cup at Arsenal as Dimi Konstantopoulos, Adam Forshaw, Emilio Nsue and Jelle Vossen came in for Tomas Mejias, Adam Clayton, Albert Adomah and Kike.
It was Nsue's first action of the year after spending most of January on African Cup of Nations duty with Equatorial Guinea.
Boro attacked from the off and almost went ahead in the second minute as a quick break sent Forshaw storming forward to the edge of the box and slot a ball to his right for over-lapping Nsue to take a touch then drill in a low angled shot that keeper Randolph finger-tipped behind for a corner.
Soon after another Forshaw ball out wide picked out Nsue who darted forward to win a corner.
That was cleared but Kenneth Ormeruo picked up the loose ball and sent George Friend wriggling into the box from the left but he was crowded out.
Birmingham's first chance came on six minutes as Caddis sent Shinnie through the middle but he sent his long range speculative effort fizzing yards wide.
They went closer on 10 minutes as Shinnie again found space to dart through the middle and this time his low shot sent Dimi Konstantopoulos full length to push behind for a corner that was easily dealt with.
Boro pressed as Lee Tomlin first picked out out a Patrick Bamford run on 11 minutes then when the ball was played back another deft chip by the midfielder into the box for Jelle Vossen was nervously bundled out for a corner which Ben Gibson headed wide.
On 15 minutes Boro picked to the edge of the Blues box with a good move that found Grant Leadbitter in space but with the shot beckoning he sprayed it out wide to the right for Nsue who failed to control and a defender stole in to clear.
Then on 17 minutes Boro almost broke through as Ryan Fredericks sprinted down the right and put in a low cross that skidded past two defenders before the the keeper collected with Bamford closing in.
Boro were almost in trouble on 20 minutes when Forshaw dawdled and was robbed 30 yards out and Donaldson played a one-two with Gray to get into the box but alert Gibson made a well timed tackle as he shaped to shoot.
Birmingham won a corner on 23 minutes but ex-Boro man Jonathan Grounds fouled as he climbed for a header that he powered over.
Then from another corner soon after Grounds pounced again in a scramble but his stabbed shot deflected wide off Nsue for another flag-kick that was cleared.
There was a brief flare-up between the two benches on 26 minutes after Vossen and Gleeson tangled chasing a loose ball.
City threatened again on 28 minutes as a ball into the box was charged down and looped to the edge of the box where Caddis rifled a low shot that bounced up into the arms of Konstantopoulos.
Then on 31 minutes Gray wriggled into the box from the right with Gibson on his tail then when he fired to the near post the ball deflected just outside the post off Leadbitter.
And as Boro failed to clear the corner there was a scrum before Spector poked a shot goalwards that was blocked by Gibson.
Boro almost got lucky as a poor keeper's clearance screwed to Tomlin but with the shot beckoning he opted to pass it and City quickly reorganised and the moment was gone.
Birmingham again piled on some pressure and in a chaotic spell in the Boro box first Gibson then Vossen had to head away after
On 40 minutes City's Cotterill was booked for delaying a free-kick.
But Boro were punished for their shaky spell on 42 minutes when a underhit back-pass by Gibson sent Donaldson sprinting into the box and Konstantopoulos dived in to save at his feet and skittled the striker.
The Greek keeper, injured in the process, was sent off after treatment. Boro sent on sub keeper Tomas Mejias for Vossen but he never got near the spot-kick which was hammered home by PAUL CADDIS in stoppage time.
HALF-TIME: BIRMINGHAM 1 BORO 0
Boro started brightly after the break and got the ball forward with more urgency and picked and probed down both flanks but were struggling to get the final ball into the box.
But there were still some nerves at the back as they left space when they pushed forward and a string of Birmingham high balls were cleared nervously in a scrappy start.
On 55 minutes Fredericks was booked for a body-check on Gray.
Birmingham's Davis had lengthy treatment before limping off on 60 minutes with Reilly coming on.
City won a corner and when it was swung into the crowd Grounds climbed highest to put in a looping header that Mejias tipped over then when a second flag-kick came in if fell to Donaldson 12 yards out but he couldn't control and Leadbitter pounced to clear.
Then Cotterill blazed a 25 yard free-kick high over for City.
On 62 minutes Albert Adomah came on for Nsue.
Boro had the ball in the net on 66 minutes as a high ball was nodded down by a defender and Friend barged him off the ball and slotted it into the box for Adomah to dart through and poke it against the post then bury the rebound but the offside flag was already up.
The Boro fans were screaming for a penalty a minute later as Robinson crashed into the back of Bamford as he jumped to control a cross but the referee waved play on.
On 69 minutes Birmingham put on Dyer for Gray.
Boro continued to press forward and Birmingham were forced to defend for a spell.
And Boro clawed level with a well worked goal on 74 minutes as Tomlin picked out PATRICK BAMFORD on the edge of the box and he played a one-two with Leadbitter to find space then rifled a low shot under the keeper to put Boro top of the league.
Boro were back on the attack two minutes later as a Tomlin ball in was scrambled away but over-lapping Fredericks scooped up the loose ball and raced to the byline to put in a cross that was nervously bundled away.
On 77 minutes City put Thomas on for Shinnie.
Boro again built up some pressure and went close on 83 minutes as a goal-bound Tomlin shot was deflected behind for a corner.
On 85 minutes Boro put Adam Reach on for Tomlin.
On 88 minutes Adomah booked for a foul on Grounds.
Birmingham then had a spell of possession but Boro kept them at arms' length – although when the ball did get into the box there were some nervous moments.
Birmingham should have sealed it deep in stoppage time when a Caddis cross sailed into the box for unmarked Donaldson but he headed over from close range.
At the death Omeruo was booked for a thundering tackle on Gleeson.
BORO: Dimi, Fredericks, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter, Forshaw, Nsue (Adomah 62) Tomlin (Reach 85), Vossen (Mejias 45), Bamford Subs: Clayton, Husband, Whitehead, Kike.
BIRMINGHAM: Randolph, Caddis, Spector, Robinson, Grounds, Davis (Reilly 60), Gleeson, Cotterill, Shinnie (Thomas 77), Gray (Dyer 69), Donaldson. Subs: Doyle, Novak, Kiernan, Zigic.
Ref: David Coote (Nottinghamshire)
Att: 15,101 (1,258 Boro fans)
No comments:
Post a Comment