By Andrew Morgan
December 10 2006

Middlesbrough went into this game on the back of two 2-1 defeats - at home to Manchester United and away at Tottenham in the last week.

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Middlesbrough went into this game on the back of two 2-1 defeats - at home to Manchester United and away at Spurs.

Mark Viduka returned to the side after a two-month injury lay-off. This meant that Malcolm Christie was dropped to the bench to make way for the Australian. Viduka was to partner Yakubu up front in a 4-4-2 formation.

At the back Huth's broken foot forced Gareth Southgate into playing a flat-back four, with Jonathan Woodgate and Emmanuel Pogatetz at the heart of defence. Abel Xavier was to play on the right and Andrew Taylor on the left.

James Morrison and Stewart Downing were on either wings in the midfield, with Julio Arca taking the place of the suspended Lee Cattermole in the centre.

Schwarzer, Xavier, Woodgate, Pogatetz (Parnaby 46), Taylor, Morrison, Boateng, Arca, Downing, Viduka, Yakubu, Jones, Rochemback, Christie, Johnson

THE FIRST HALF

On two minutes a Morrison-Viduka fluid move gave the Boro an early corner but Wigan headed out the clearance.

Boro came straight back as George Boateng intercepted the Wigan move and passed the ball to Stewart Downing.. The England winner launched a dream ball from the left that narrowly eluded Morrison's powerful run from the penalty spot. Chris Kirkland scrambled the ball around the post for another Boro corner but Boro could not profit from this.

The balance of Downing on the left and Morrison on the right was starting to pay dividends for Boro as the red shirts came forward once more. But there was danger at the other end too, with Henri Camara taking a snapshot from an acute angle that Schwarzer did well to hold on to.

On nine minutes there was further danger from the Wigan front-man. From a free-kick Camara tried to scoop the ball over Pogatetz and launch a shot, which deflected off Jonathan Woodgate.

From the resulting corner it was déjà vu of last week as just like Darren Fletcher, Paul Scharner found himself having a free header at Mark Schwarzer from six yards out. This time, the Aussie made a magnificent save, conceding another corner in the process. Thankfully, this was better defended by the Boro.

Wigan were growing in confidence but it was the Boro's turn to start bursting forward. Or lumbering forward as is more accurately the case. But Stewart Downing was inspired, whipping more balls in than a depressed dominatrix who has forgotten to take her mood stabilisers.

Demonstrating this, on fifteen minutes Downing launched a pin-point cross that found Yakubu six yards out. Kirkland came out to narrow the angle but instead of dinking the ball over the onrushing keeper, all Yakubu managed to do was blast it straight at him. The deflection found its way to Morrison, who also should have scored. The only conversion he could have registered however was if he had been playing rugby.

Henri Camara was unsettling the Boro defence as he got another header in on goal. This was comparatively weak however and Schwarzer easily smothered the ball.

Mark Viduka and Yakubu were linking up with each other as if they had never been apart. Actually it was quite sweet. On nineteen, Fitz Hall fouled the Nigerian on the edge of the area but no free kick was awarded much to the howls of the home faithful.

On twenty-two a difficult ball over the top from Skoko caused mayhem in the Boro defence, particularly in Pogatetz's department. He was wrong-side of the onrushing striker and, knowing he was going to score, the Austrian gently nudged his opponent. The referee blew for a penalty and Boro's nemesis - Henri Camara stepped up to take the penalty.

After a couple of the older supporters in the stadium had died (and two pregnant ladies had given birth in the stands), Camara ran up slowly and stroked the ball past a despairing Schwarzer - in something like the seventieth minute it took so long. Boro were going to have to come from behind once more.

Middlesbrough 0 Wigan Athletic 1 (Camara (pen), 22)

Middlesbrough were determined to still play their passing game as Downing once again was flummoxing the Wigan defence. He crossed the ball to Viduka in the centre but it narrowly eluded him. Wigan scraped a clearance but all it did was fall to Yakubu who took a rasping curling shot that just went over the bar.

On twenty-nine the Boro were asking more questions of Wigan, with Viduka and Yakubu leading the way. In fact Boro were having some form of question amnesty after saving them all up over the last three months. They were now blasting in shots from everywhere.

On thirty Middlesbrough got some more bad news as Emmanuel Pogatetz was booked for a rash challenge on Henri Camara. This was his fifth booking of the season so he now faces a one-match suspension (against Fulham). With Huth out injured this was going to leave the Boro short at the back over the coming weeks' crucial games.

Along with Camara, Paul Scharner was causing Boro's backline problems. He and McCulloch got into a tangle on thirty-two when the former took a shot when the latter was better positioned. It was yet another let-off for the home side.

On thirty four Boro attempted suicide but like everything else they had done today, they just couldn't quite manage it. Henri Camara found himself one-on-one with Schwarzer. He had time to chest the ball down, to control it and then to rifle a ferocious shot at goal. Schwarzer pulled out a top-drawer save, changing his direction to deny the Wigan frontman when it was almost certain he was to double his side's lead.

But relentlessly Wigan came again. A David Cotterrill shot was saved by the goalkeeper some twenty seconds later. It was very much Mark Schwarzer versus Wigan.

On thirty-eight Downing tortured Wigan some more, launching another pin-point cross into the area. Morrison forced a good catch from Chris Kirkland but had he adopted power over safety then it surely would have been one a-piece, particularly from six yards out.

Towards the end of the half I was thinking of organising a poker tournament for the Boro players. I was sure to win. After all, with no one willing to dart into the area to latch onto Downing's balls then they were evidently rubbish at gambling. On forty-two this was demonstrated when no one was running past Kirkland, allowing him an easy catch from a splendid Downing cross.

A Kirkland injury forced some sober introspection. Then Mark Page's voice came over the tannoy. Kirkland groggily got up as the Boro once again tried to build another attack.

In the second minute of stoppage time, the Boro were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area. Julio Arca and Viduka were over it. The latter took it and the ball floated effortlessly over the wall. And then over the bar, not troubling Kirkland.

Boos rang around the stadium as the half-time whistle blew. It was a massive game that Boro needed to win. They had forty-five minutes to put things right.

THE SECOND HALF

Chris Kirkland was not to feature in the second half after being taken to hospital because of the injury sustained in the first half. Michael Pollitt was to play in goal for the visitors.

For the Boro, the struggling Pogatetz made way for Stewart Parnaby - with Abel Xavier moving to centre half to accommodate the Boro youngster at right-back.

On forty-eight Yakubu again showed his lack of confidence in front of goal. The Nigerian flicked the ball to Viduka who returned it to his onrushing strike-partner. In a one-on-one situation and a mere twelve yards out, Yakubu's shot was scuffed and Pollitt comfortably gathered. How many chances did the Boro want to spurn today? Once more they should have been level.

On fifty it was Morrison's turn to whip a ball in, which Downing found himself on the end. He took his eye off the ball at a crucial moment, messing up his volley in front of goal by missing the ball completely.

A minute later and the Boro crowd were up in arms after an offside decision counted against Mark Viduka. Wigan's Baines was clearly playing him on and the assistant's flag was late but whether he would have been quick enough to reach the ball in the first place is something that is up for debate.

On fifty-six Downing ran at the heart of the Wigan defence, and, with his heels clipped, he succeeded in winning a corner. The Boro were in the ascendancy now but Downing's cross failed to beat the first man, as has so often been the case with his corners. But the Boro now had confidence and were pushing on for that elusive goal.

Viduka tried a shot on sixty that isn't really worth mentioning - except that I just have so you will just have to like it. The Boro crowd however were liking it as it was all Boro at this point, with Downing and Viduka pulling all of the strings.

On sixty-three Downing hit a long-range shot after chesting it onto his left foot. Pollitt comfortably saved and the ball went out for a throw-in. The Boro came once more. Viduka brought Downing into play who rifled another shot at Pollitt. The stand-in goalie kept Wigan out of danger.

But he could do nothing about what followed. Viduka laid it to Morrison who in turn crossed it to Yakubu from the right. Even he, with his low confidence, could not miss from two yards out and he finally punished Wigan, breaking his barren spell in the process. It was a tap-in and it was a gambled goal but it was refreshing to see. And it was no less than what Boro deserved.

Middlesbrough 1 (Yakubu 66) Wigan 1

The Boro fans set their watches to three minutes in order to count down the time until Wigan would score their second. However instead of Wigan pressure, the Boro kept pushing on, with confidence clearly flowing through their veins.

On seventy a dangerous Wigan free-kick threatened the Boro but Jonathan Woodgate strongly headed away all danger. The Boro broke, with Arca passing to Downing who in turn passed to Morrison. It was attack of the young brigade as Parnaby received the ball from Morrison but his cross was blocked by the Wigan defence. Still at least the ball was in the right half.

Emerson Boyce saved Wigan on seventy-three as Arca almost stole in for a second. Wigan broke from this and Boro had to concede a corner in order to deal with the threat. The Boro dealt with the confidence.

On seventy five Pollitt came out quickly to deny Yakubu, who was bearing down on goal like a rampant juggernaut with brake fluid problems (except Yakubu doesn't have wheels and is not made of metal of course). A Stewart Downing free-kick on seventy-seven also gave Pollitt work to do but he was up to the challenge, catching easily from a poor delivery.

Mark Viduka was also in rampant form, like a super-charged bunny in a forest fire. He set up Julio Arca who only narrowly missed the ball on seventy-eight. At the other end, Kevin Kilbane tried a shot from twenty-five yards but he blasted it over the bar.

On eighty Paul Scharner also had a speculative shot that Woodgate blocked easily. At the other end the Boro took the poorest free-kick in the history of free-kicks and were forced to build once more. Like the pigs who made their houses out of straw and sticks.

Our house was starting to be made or bricks (and metal and other stadium like constructions) as Downing launched another corner into the box. The crowd howled like the Big Bad Wolf as it looked like Parnaby was fouled but the referee was having none of it. The only people who were afraid were the Wigan fans.

Another corner on eighty-five and Downing once more delivered a perfect corner. It got knocked into the path of Xavier around eight yards out and he contrived to miss the target.

But the Boro came at the opposition again, their determination stronger than the average Romanian shot-putter. The pressure had been all Boro in the second half and there was only one team that looked like winning it. But with every minute that passed, it was a minute closer to a point for Wigan when the Boro fans knew they really needed all three.

Three minutes added time heralded the fact that time was running out. But Camara also showed that Wigan still packed a threat. Thankfully it was about as threatening as a box of frozen peas as he blasted his shot high hopeless and wide.

And that was the final action of the day. Boro were unlucky not to get all three points today but equally Schwarzer had kept us in it in the first half.

With Viduka back and Downing and Morrison restoring balance in midfield it was good to see Boro playing with attacking fluidity and actually having shots at goal. However there was still not enough gambling in the box and this needs to improve as Downing's deliveries in particular where being squandered.

Equally Yakubu scoring should give him the confidence to get a hatful. He was clearly lacking in belief today but an assessment of his performance should hopefully get him firing once more.

However a positive performance if not a positive point. Boro must build from here.

FULL TIME FAN REACTION

"1-1. Not good enough. We need to be winning these games"
Mark the Boro Fan

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