Nice outcome shame about the game
On a bitter cold night I ventured up to the Riverside last night to watch ‘the mighty’ Boro in their FA Cup fifth round replay against Sheffield United. It was a bit of a shocker, as a spectacle it was unspectacular, and I think I’ve seen better on a Sunday morning in the local league I used to play in many years ago. The atmosphere in a decent sized crowd was buoyant, another venture to the FA Cup quarter final beckoned and £12m man Afonso Alves was making his first start since his big money signing from Dutch side Heerenveen.
Boro started the game terribly with the ball barely on the deck and them hardly having a touch for 10 minutes. However, they soon started to play football and found some joy but the usually profligacy in front of goal was evident with good chances missed by Stewart Downing, Luke Young and new man Alves. He was probably the highlight of the first half and started to show some of the things we have paid all that money for. He was quick and skillful and showed some technique from a free kick.
Half time came and went though and was followed by a dire 45 mins of turgid and uninspiring. Sheffield seemed they were in the mood to play for penalties even at this stage of the game and Boro seemed bereft of ideas as to how to break the dogged Championship side down. Alves was replaced after about 70 mins much to the consternation and audible disappointment of the crowd and it was nice to hear Gareth Southgate refer to the popularity of his decision in his pot match interview.
Nothing came of the second 45 so we had extra time to endure and by this time I could feel neither my legs nor my feet. The first hlf came and went as did much of the second and it was definitely ’squeaky bum time’ for the fans. However through a stroke of luck (or a fluke depending on your viewpoint I suppose) we managed to nick it at the death. A deflected Mido shout looped over Paddy Kenny in the Sheffield goal and hit the post but, much to the keepers pain he palmed it into the open goal in a desperate attempt to clear his lines. It was a shocker but a great relief for all the home fans and a nice home tie against Cardiff beckons.
I then had the seemingly never ending wait and fight to escape the Middlesbrough town centre car park. It took 40 mins, a blatant disregard for a ‘No Entry’ sign and a brief sojourn round parts of the town centre to contrive my getaway.