One minute Boro were going top of the table, the next they were dropping points to the basement boys and then Kike popped up when it mattered most.
If Boro do win promotion this season, and they’ve put themselves in the perfect position to achieve exactly that, they’ll look back at this game as a pivotal moment in the campaign.
The importance of that late winner can’t be over-stated.
With Bournemouth and Derby playing out a 2-2 draw at the Goldsands this was Boro’s chance to take advantage, to reach the summit.
They did exactly that. A glance at the league table this morning won’t fail to bring a smile to your face.
Now Boro need to stay there.
And if they show the grit and determination they demonstrated at Bloomfield Road last night they’re more than capable of keeping a firm grip on top spot.
It wasn’t pretty, it was by no means vintage Boro. But just like they did against Brentford, Boro found a way.
That’s five league wins on the bounce now. One defeat in 19. It’s the form of a team that are showing no signs of slowing down.
Here’s what we learnt from the win over Blackpool
Promotion is in Boro’s hands
The inevitability of looking at the full-time results and seeing that Bournemouth and Derby had won yet again was just as frustrating week in, week out.
But it was the fact that those two sides were going head to head last night that made Boro’s game against Blackpool so important.
Regardless of the result at the Goldsands, if Boro won they were going into the top two.
A draw, as it finished, would send AK’s men top providing they picked up all three points.
It wasn’t easy against the bottom club, as the boss had warned, but they got the job done.
And now Boro at last find themselves in a position where promotion is in their own hands.
Keep winning and Boro will be back in the big time. No longer are Karanka's men relying on other sides to slip up.
They’re leading the pack now, it’s Boro’s to throw away.
Granted, there’s a long way to go and Boro have some extremely testing games still to come.
But this is the best position Boro have found themselves in since the heartbreak of relegation six years ago.
Their destiny is in their own hands.
AK’s team selection gamble paid off
Hands up those who predicted that starting XI?
Thought not.
With a flurry of February fixtures to come and a trip to the Emirates on Sunday, Karanka was always going to make full use of his squad.
That said, nobody expected him to ring the changes as he did at Bloomfield Road.
Seven changes and a new set-up. The ‘Karanka’ given a night off, replaced by 3-5-2. Louis van Gaal would be proud.
Boro’s squad depth is quite remarkable this season for a Championship squad. To make all those changes and still have players such as George Friend, James Husband, Muzzy Carayol, Ryan Fredericks and Emilio Nsue not in the squad shows what’s available to Karanka.
But the boss would have had some quite awkward questions to answer had Boro failed to pick up the points last night.
His selection and the faith in his squad was once again vindicated. The decision to play an extra man in midfield to make sure Boro won the battle on a pitch he described as “impossible to play on” worked - in the end.
Lee Clark said Boro showed their versatility at Bloomfield Road.
That and their spirit, their battling qualities, their ability to grind out a result.
Boro got three points and will now have Lee Tomlin, Patrick Bamford, Grant Leadbitter and co. fresh for the trip to Arsenal on Sunday.
The FA Cup game was the least important of the week for Boro but they can go to north London and enjoy it. And there's no reason they can't pull off yet another shock.
What a night for Jonathan Woodgate
It was hard not to get a lump in your throat reading Jonathan Woodgate’s interview in the Times recently.
“Make no mistake, if I play again for this club, it’ll be the biggest game of my career, 100%,” he said.
Why? Because he feared it could be his last.
The chances are Woodgate will play for his hometown club again before the season is out. He certainly showed last night he’s still got something to offer.
But the club captain played like it was his last game. Heart fixed on his sleeve, the experienced defender came in from the cold for his first start since August and performed admirably well.
Let’s not forget the state of the turf and the importance of the game. Woodgate must have been rusty but he put any concerns and nerves to one side to lead the team in impeccable fashion.
His goal looked to have won it. Thankfully, Boro did win it.
“People need a smile on their faces,” said Woodgate in that interview as he spoke of the importance of Boro winning promotion this year.
His smile couldn’t have been wider after that goal. Neither could that on the faces of Boro fans at the full-time whistle.
What a night for Jonathan Woodgate.
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