#OnThisBoroDay 2012: Boro beat Portsmouth to keep their play-off hopes on track

Crisis club Pompey handed Boro three much-needed points as Mogga’s men looked to cling on to their spot in the top six.

Goalless at the break, it was hard to see where one goal was going to come from in a game lacking quality, never mind four.

But then Ricardo Rocha decided to bundle Seb Hines over in the area. Barry Robson stuck away the penalty and the visitors were on their way to a crucial victory on this day in 2012.

It was tight at the top and after winning just two of their last nine games it was vital Boro got three points on the board at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth had other things to worry about. The growing threat of liquidation hung over the club who had already been deducted 10 points and were languishing in the relegation zone.

Marvin Emnes celebrates after scoring Boro's third against Portsmouth

To their credit, Pompey put up a fight. When Matthew Bates rifled in Boro’s second it looked like the game was put to bed but the hosts had other ideas.

Greg Halford hammered home a penalty just three minutes later before the relegation favourites pushed for a leveller. Thankfully, Boro stood strong and wrapped the game up when Marvin Emnes followed up a well-saved Adam Hammill strike.

It was Hammill’s first taste of action for Boro after completing a loan switch but he wasted no time in setting out his main ambition - promotion.

“There’s a lot of quality in the squad here and hopefully we can win promotion,” he told the Gazette.

“We are right up there and have a really good chance to go up.

“It was important to go to Portsmouth and stand up to what we knew they would throw at us.

“We did that, we matched them physically, we played well and got three goals so it was a great result for the team and a great start for me personally.”

Despite their wobble, Boro were still in the mix. Southampton were opening a gap at the top but Mowbray’s promotion hopefuls jumped back up to fifth, six points behind West Ham in second place.

What was now required was consistency but unfortunately Boro couldn’t oblige.

A damaging defeat at home to Leeds the week later was the start of an eight-match winless run that all but ended Boro’s promotion hopes for another year.