Mixed New Year For Middlesbrough
It was a case of deja vu for Middlesbrough in the two New Year fixtures in the EFL Championship after the Vertu Motors-backed side picked up a win and a defeat – matching the two Christmas results.
Having suffered a surprise defeat to bottom side Rotherham, ‘Boro headed into the final game of 2023 away against Huddersfield Town.
Both sides missed golden chances to open the scoring in the first half before the away side grabbed the lead through Josh Colburn’s delicate finish – only for Michal Helik to smash in the equaliser six minutes later.
When Morgan Rogers was fouled in the box, Jonny Howson stepped up to take a late penalty and win the game for ‘Boro only for Jacob Chapman to make the save and turn the ball behind for a corner.
However, when the ball came in, it dropped to Howson and he made amends by hitting home the winner to secure all three points.
‘Boro kicked off 2024 at the Riverside to Coventry City and grabbed the lead on the half hour mark thanks to a header from Coburn.
Despite dominating the early stages, the home side were pegged back by a goal from in-form Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and the Japanese midfielder would add another in the second half to a strike from Haji Wright as Coventry came back to grab all three points.
It leaves ‘Boro twelfth in the table heading into the FA Cup third round and a tie with high-flying Premier League side Aston Villa.