Preston Panned In Deepdale Deluge
WELLY-wearing Boro aquaplaned to a splashing League Cup victory at a rain-lashed Deepdale. It was a hard-earned win over a spirited Preston wrung out of a soggy night that had 'slip up' written all over it.
It was all set up for a 'giant-killing'. The visiting big boys had bravely made 11 changes from the team who won at near-by Blackburn for a one-off encounter against a spirited side that was rattling goals in at home and really fancied it, especially in a game staged on a pitch that was tidal.
Right from kick-off there was a questionmark as to whether it would last the 90 minutes. From the off it was clear that the surface was very, very wet. The rain had been Biblical in the area for three days and never let up throughout what was a half-decent game and largely entertaining game. Two hours before the game ground staff were in action out on the pitch, forking it and clearing small puddles and at kick-off it looked fantastic.
But the deluge continued and the pitch was problematic and for the referee it must have been touch and go at times. In places the ball would zip and slither and in others it would suddenly stop rolling as it hit wet and sticky spots.
Boro won a string of early corners and as Emmanuel Ledesma swung to make contact there was a spectacular spray thrown up around. It looked great but must have made the referee at least start to build a case for a possible postponement.
There were slips and skids and splashes and several times sliding tackles went on for yards throwing up an impressive wash in their wake, although luckily none led to the kind of crunching contact that would have raised concerns about player safety. But I'm sure at two up I wasn't the only one inwardly groaning at the inevitability of the impending abandonment on 37 minutes, Ipswich o'clock.
And the same fears returned in the closing stages as, with Boro two up again and firmly in control after weathering - literally and metaphorically - the Preston storm either side of the break, the pitch started to cut up, the slithering aquatics became more pronounced and the relentless rain intensified.
But we made it to the whistle, splashed into the last 16 and now await anxiously to find out who we are away to in the next round... an eleventh successive away tie in the League Cup is nailed on isn't it?
Chelsea or Manchester United at home would be a nice way to break the double digit short-haul sequence and may put bums on seats (as would Sunderland but you'd prefer a big team) - but ominously Swindon and Southampton and Swansea are still in the hat for tonight. If we are to be away please make it Bradford. The easier the better. We can save the glamour clash for Wembley.
It was a job professionally done in difficult conditions. Even on a clement night if would have been tricky. Tony Mowbray had made himself a hostage to fortune as he made a sweeping 11 changes to his line-up.
Such radical surgery had not been seen since Steve McClaren turned out an Academy side with an average age a shade under 20 at Fulham the week before the UEFA Cup final at Eindhoven in 2006.
Eleven changes meant vital and welcome pitch-time for some fringe figures and benchwarmers and the chance to nudge back towards fitness for Nicky Bailey - but his absence was a stark reminder of exactly how far out in the cold Scott McDonald is. Or how warm he was back home on Teesside.
The all change approach was a risk: it meant, not for the first time this season, that whole departments needed introducing to each other before kick-off and had Boro slithered out - which was possible as Huddersfield and Palace had both crashed out at Deepdale this term - then Mogga would have been blasted as an over technical tactical tinkerman.
Had Boro lost the boss would no doubt have carried the can having changing a team who did so well at Blackburn. Particularly at the back there was the potential for danger.
Swiss keeper Jayson Leutwiler was almost literally thrown in to the deep end. He was making his competitive debut wearing waders, had to deal with a greasy ball and a slippery surface and in front of him was a unit that had never played together before including the forgotten figure of Stuart Parnaby a rusty right-back in serious action for the first time in 16 months.
And, it must be said, there were some scary moments at the back, some weak punches leading to frantic scrambles in the box and in a bewildering sixty seconds early in the second half three shots were charged down in the box by defenders then the keeper twice in quick succession made great saves at the near post as the chaos continued.
But, in horrendous weather, both sides played some neat football on the ground. That will have helped Boro. Had Preston gone long and direct and put the ball in the box - the default for lower league sides playing a 'footballing' outfit' - the treacherous conditions may have been a far bigger factor in the game.
And, in spells, Boro were enterprising and attacking with Ledesma standing out in an early wave of creativity, surging down the flanks and running at players and cutting inside to either pick out team-mates breaking forward or having a pop.
Boro's brightest got a breakthrough opener that lead to confusion as three players appeared to be simultaneously claiming the goal.
Ledesma swung in a corner that hit the far post and bounced down - and in - and although it was clawed out the linesman was already flagging to indicate the goal.
But back in the box there was an on-going chaotic scramble in the six yard box and first Nicky Bailey bundled it goalwards - and it again appeared over the line before Andy Halliday slammed it home to make sure.
All three made rival claims loudly, sincerely and with absolute belief in their legitimacy: it was the kind of scenario that caused medieval wars of succession over the throne.
Pretender Halliday was initially credited with the goal by some news agencies before slo-mo replays showed the corner had gone in - but he didn't let that stop him.
Coming out at half time he was badgering and cajoling the referee in a bid to persuade him of his claim and then switched his spin to the lino, trying to undermine Ledesma's. He was still recruiting forces to his tattered banner after the whistle and continued tweeting all the way home on the coach.
There was no confusion over the second, Zemmama cracking home after a neat ball in from Richie Smallwood - who having learned his trade on the exposed pitches of the Teesside Junior League was in his element. "They were my conditions," he said beaming after the game. "I've played in worse out on the back field."
The third also had an element of farce about it, the Preston keeper forced into making a brilliant save from one of his own defenders after a powerful backward header then Dormanstown Destroyer Smallwood stuck it away at the second attempt.
So it was a soggy job well done on a splashing night. It wasn't the wettest game ever - that remains the Rumbelows Cup semi-final at Manchester United in 1992, played in a monsoon when building work at Old Trafford meant there was no roof narrowly ahead of a game at Blackburn five years ago when it was bouncing and possibly Portsmouth at home in last term's opener - but it was close.
It was a night when the only thing that mattered was getting through - not just through the game but also to the venue and then home again.
Boro players and management left Deepdale wondering how - and if - the coach could get back to their own cars parked up at cut off Hurworth. All but Ledesma and Arca who had made their own way, not having managed to reach Rockcliffe in the first place. All the post match talk was off tortuous routes home and traffic updates on the Ipad.
And it wasn't just the players scouring roadwatch sites and phoning home for flooding updates as they planned their return . About 500 fans made long trips on awful roads along a Byzantine neural network of rain sodden routes. We went via the bleak spray shroud M62 rather than brave Blubberhouses but the concourse chatter revealed a logistical ingenuity borne of years on the road that put 'The Knowledge' to shame.
The fans deserve credit. Given the weather it was a fan-tastic turnout for the third trip over the Pennines in a week, and after good shows too for the battering at Blackpool and a televised Friday night clash at Blackburn it shows admirable loyalty and tenacity.
The Boro web site awarded them a collective Man of the Match. I'll go with that.
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A comfortable win and no last minute panic, blimey! Can we have a prem team at home in the next round please?
Still freezing, still wet through but that was a fairly enjoyable evening at PNE.
It was like a reserve match at times - Nicky Bailey aside I suppose it was a reserve match for us - with neither side getting out of second gear for long. Boro's second was a joy, though: Four or five passes, long and short, excellent touch in difficult conditions, a swagger and a flick and then Zemmama smashed a controlled drive from distance. They simply couldn't get near us in that passage.
We took our foot off after that and allowed them to take control. Even so they barely got a shot in until a couple of quick passes and a positive run forward undid us. They came out fighting for ten minutes after the break but a mistake at the back after good pressing from our forwards lead to a Boro third and from then on it was back to the reserve game.
It was a poor goal from their point of view (the keeper looked to have been at fault too) but who cares? Our first may have been a poor one for them as well but I couldn't see much of it from our position at the other end of the stadium.
I thought Ledesma looked bright and showed some neat control but we didn't get him on the ball often enough. Luke Williams was positive too and a regular out-ball for us as he hung wide on the left but I felt that the lack of a focal point up front made his and Ledesma's lives more difficult. They both looked short of passing options at times and were forced into dribbling inside with mixed results.
Smallwood was neat and tidy, happy to receive it in tight areas and play largely simple passes. He made some good interceptions and tackles too. He's about as unflashy a midfielder as you can get but he does a solid, dependable job.
Arca did well in the first half but faded and started to give the ball away in the second, though some of that could be attributed to a lack of movement ahead of him. Bailey offered typical protection. It's as much about the defensive positions he takes up as his tackling. Glad to have him back again.
I thought Halliday did quite well at left-back in an unfamiliar defence. He was committed in his tackling and kept one of their busier players at bay. He didn't get forward too often but then again Luke Williams didn't get back much and that may have been the plan.
The conditions were pretty awful but I did think Leutwiler looked a tad dodgy with his handling and one or two of his kicks from goal. We'll let him off though - it was pouring down throughout, he hasn't played much football and he didn't have much to do anyway. In truth, it was a game that will be quickly forgotten but we made eleven changes and won fairly comfortably. Job done.
A very important performance and win. It sets the tone.
I know many dont like analogies from other sports but true to my style I am going to use another one. Rugby tours to the likes of South Africa and New Zealand end up with a Wednesday team and a Saturday (the test) team. Good tours have a winning Wednesday team because it sets the tone. They are doing a job and putting pressure on the Saturday team by their performances.
Last nights cup win did just that. It was a tricky tie and many players needed the break not forgetting it gave a run out to as many again. It also sends a message out to other teams. If we had lost we could rationalise it away but that doesnt really wash with me. But Leicester up next, lets keep the run going.
A home tie please, Sunderland would be my preference. I wouldn't mind one of the big boys as if we are going to win this or reach the final (why not?) our best chance would be knocking a weakened team out early on.
The later the competition goes, the stronger their teams will get. We'd have a chance at home against most of the premiership also-rans.
It would also potentially give us a week of cracking home games in October, Hull on the 23rd, Bolton on the 27th and this on the 30th/31st.
I commented on #borolive how different it was to listen to an away game and not be permanently on the edge of my seat. A bit disconcerting really.
Ian is right the win sets the tone, or builds momentum. The eleven who played last night will get a boost from playing a competitive match and won. The whole squad will get a boost from the win also. It was a perfect tee up ahead of the Leicester game.
Andy R:
Thanks for the excellent match report. Much appreciated, particularly given the weather. Fans' reports on the games they have been to, alongside AV's incomparable journalism, is the life blood of this blog for me. More please.
Agree with AV that you heroes were all MoM. (The weather stopped me getting to the game for the first time I can ever remember.)
Yet another shambles from Mowbray last night, when oh when will he learn the value of playing a settled team.
MOWBRAY OUT!
Great report, AV, which aptly sums up the match and the evening.
Not quite as bad as that Blackburn debacle a few years ago which was more like water-polo, but it was pretty bad! I live in Chorley, just 10 miles from Deepdale, but even for me it was difficult rowing up the M6 to get there, so full credit to all the Teessiders who somehow made it across. I live next to a raging river. Last night I'll swear a bloke in an Arc sailed past.
I was surprised by PNE. My mate had led me to expect an aerial bombardment, but in fact, like Boro, they tried to pass it around neatly, which actually made it a very good game. Some real scrambles, some really nervy moments for both defences, plenty of goalmouth action.
I thought an unfamilar Boro played very well. Our slick interpassing game looked very easy on the eye. For me, Zemamma, Ledesma and Parnaby all has very good games, but Arca was my man of the match. Curiously, his name in Spanish means Arc (as in Noah.) Very appropriate. And as you say, AV, very biblical!
Good result combined with the news of Adam Reach signing a new contract made for a pleasing night.
On the watery fixture list could I add away at Bournemouth in 89/90? The rain came down so heavily the players were taken off the pitch and the exposed Boro fans were escorted into the main stand for cover (that is for a few hardy/soaked/stupid ones like me).
It certainly looked wet on the pictures. A collective MOTM seems appropriate, sort of synchronized swimming job where they all get a medal.
Shame Burton Albion got knocked out, a bit of revenge wouldnt go amiss, and it is actually easier for me to get to than Pride Park even though I live in Derby.
AV: Surely, it must be the case that there's a clause in McDonald's contract which means that any further appearances will spring some sort of additional payment? What other explanation can there be?
Great win in difficult conditions. A great win because Mogga gambled and won, making a whole team of changes. The most important point to make out of all that for me is that we couldn't have done that last season and competed. And that's progress.
Even if McDonald didn't have any appearance-based clauses, it would be pointless to start playing him now, if Mogga continues to freeze him out hopefully he will get the message and leave in January. He surely won't want to spend the whole season kicking his heels.
Another away tie, at least its local. Let's hope lessons have been learnt viz-a-viz ticket allocations...
So Sunderland away again.
Lets hope the club reward the loyal fans who travelled to Bury,Gillingham and Preston and give them first refusal for the tickets and not repeat last seasons fiasco. Majority of other clubs do that, they work on a loyalty basis, goes on how many away games you have attended for first refusal of a ticket.
BoroPhil -
Wonder if AV will be doing an Xmas special with Lord Webber 'What do we do with a problem called McDonald'.
It is a shame that the money we received for Bennet seems to be gradually going to pay for McDonald and to some extent McManus.
AV -
Any clue what Scottie actually does each day? Is he exiled? Does he train with the groundsman?
And then we are away again but at least it is just up the road.
**AV writes: He goes in every day and trains as normal with he larger group but doesn't do specific pre-match tactical sessions. The same gig as Mendieta really.
Yes, it should be on a loyalty basis, therefore season ticket holders should get first refusal on Sunderland tickets, based on how long they have been a season ticket holder ideally.
I work in Sunderland, and if I want to go I hope I'm not going to have to go through the farce of going home to Boro to get on a coach to take me back to Sunderland. But I suspect that is what will happen.
AV
Thanks for the heads up on Scottie, it must be a weird situation but I could cope with the money he probably is on. He is like most footballers and probably wants to be playing rather than anything else.
Wonder if the league Cup draw was rigged on the basis that half an hours drive counts as a home match.
I'm beginning to think the person running the league cup draw must be a geordie as it's always 'away the lads'
Anybody remember playing Aston Villa at their place? I think it was in the Zenith Data, possibly semi final. It was televised live on Sky, Tuesday or Wednesday night, how that match was completed I'll never know, we were all expecting it to be called off as we were winning and the water covered the pitch. The ref; was brilliant to let it go on (possibly under pressure from Sky) and we won a really entertaining game.
**AV writes: Yes, the Northern semi-final 1st leg v Graham Taylor's Villa (who were second in division one while we were in the division two relegation places). It lashed down throughout and the ball was splashing about in puddles. Sky did indeed have the rights to the ZDS (and showed the final).
Shame about Carayol.
Oh well.
Shame about Carayol - just as he'd got a start & showed a bit of what he can offer. Hope the damage doesn't take the edge of his speed & he recovers well & quickly.
AV - do we know how near Adam Reach is? Could be an opportunity opening for the lad with a new 4 year contract. If he's not ready for Saturday, I don't know if Mogga would go with Park or Halliday. Change of shape again if not, I guess.
**AV writes: He was touch and go for Preston so I imagine he should be fit now.
Hi AV,
Disturbed to hear about Carayol today as he really showed potential for the coming months.
We really do seem to get hit hard and have had a couple of mis-diagnosis occurring now as well (Kevin Thomson and his broken leg).
It does make you wonder unfortunately???
Anything going on in the background to get to the bottom of this?
Away match after away match - I am beginning to think it might be some form of conspiracy to stop make getting my free home cup tickets - which is part of the deal for the season card I have.
Someone suggested to me that the 11 games (which MIGHT have been home games, which might in turn have given us more chance of victory each time), might have given me, say, £385 worth of free football. Boooo!
In light of the bad news regarding Mustapha's injury/not-injured/injured dare one raise the old 'elephant in the room' regarding Crockcliffe? Worse than that what is going to happen to SmogOns new line in 'Keep Calm' t-shirts?
Had a wet but brilliant day. Bit Teed off with Clive Hurren for not finding me, but he may think halifaxp still exists.
I stood in among the best fans ever on Tues. People from Preston didn't fancy it, but "We're Middlesbrough!" Lovin our club, lovin Mowbray, but come on, folks, once we went two up we went AWOL punting the ball up to Cloughie or Peacock, Viduka, rav, some ghost centre forward, so, for me, Haroun was MoM. He stopped us being passive and a bit stupid. (And I am Richie's long-standing most stalwart fan!)
John -
Throwing another in to the mix maybe Ledesma could play wide, he is left footed so could give width if needed.
Could go with a diamond in midfield with Mceachran at the point.
There are enough options with the players who are fit, it is possible Carayol may not have started in any case.
Lets hope all the being assessed dont turn in to 3-4 months then we would be struggling.
Losing Carayol for half the season is a bit of a blow. He had the makings of an exciting player. Still Mogga has good alternatives within the squad.
Sunderland away in the cup is a tricky one. I would guess that as we're into the last 16 nwo O'Neil will field a strong side as he'll see an opportunity for a wembley final looming on the horizon.
Still, hopefully he'll play lee Cattermole, which will mean they'll be down to ten men for most of the game.
Off subject but just heard George Boateng's interview on Talksport
In these days of two footballers going to court and I dont have an opinion either way because I've heard the worst of the worst on the field when I played and after the game the same people are having a pint together and indeed were team mates later on.
George came across as normal pure class
carltonp -
Sorry mate! Are you halifaxp in disguise?
If I'd known you were there I'd have sought you out, but as the windscreen wipers on my glasses weren't working, I might have struggled anyway. I agree that Harooooooooun was impressive!
Looking forward to Leicester. A tough game, but I'll settle for just the 3 points.
I'm with Clive Hurren at 2.41pm - I'll settle for just the 3 points against Leicester, but I'd prefer more. (Not more points, but a few goals, a bit of excitement, and a really good football display would be much appreciated. It would also be nice if I didn't have to wear waders and take a snorkel to the ground).
But, at the end of the day, I'd settle for just the 3 points.
How close is tomorrows match likely to be?
The odds on Skybet - other bookmakers are available - show Boro at 17/10 and the Foxes at 6/4. So a slight edge to Nige's team. Surprising really but hey ho.
Good to hear that Matt Bates is about to do some training on the pitch.
Whatever we may think about him not signing a contract before his 5th cruciate injury lets hope the lad gets back to full fitness, no doubt he will sign a contract at some point.
Good interview with Luke Williams in the Northern Echo.
A quick thought before the match.
Mogga says Leicester are a dynamic side, lets hope we dont drop back and wait and see and give the iniative away. The last two matches we have started on the front foot and been rewarded.
"...over the thrown", AV? *shakes head* Nevertheless, a vivid account of Tuesday evening's heroics. I was still on holiday in Spain at the time, but was fortunate to be staying in an hotel with a BBC World-enabled TV, so was absolutely delighted to catch sight of the scoreline when the Cup results were flashed up briefly.
**AV Writes: Good spot. In mitigation it was nearly two in the morning when I did it. I'm surprised there aren't far more yawn-induced literals peppered around.
P.S. Forgot to add that I loved the implication in your reference to the Deckchairs that they're not "a big club"! :)
A very disappointing result today, I knew the Blackburn performance was a one-off. Why play at home with one striker in front of 5 central midfielders?? I have lost faith in the Boro management...not the players. I cannot forgive such a negative and idiotic set up as today.
think Gibson will Have already made his mind up about the clubs lack of progress and consistency, as he did with Southgate and Strachan. Both were removed in October.....any ideas for a new manager?