West Brom 3-0 Boro
By Jemma Tappenden
April 11 2009
Albion started the day just three points behind Boro who sat in 16th place, but a mounting injury list meant that it was a very different look Albion side to recent weeks. The baggies were without Morrison, Bednar, Olsson, Meite and Zuiverloon, as Tony Mowbray began to look for answers to a crisis in defence.

Kim and Teixeira dropped to the bench as Valero and Brunt earned recalls.  New on-loan striker Fortune earned an immediate start.

West Bromwich Albion could not have asked for a better start, as Chris Brunt put the home side ahead within just four minutes.  Carl Hoefkens played in a delightful diagonal ball which Boro right-back Tony McMahon could only deflect into the path of Brunt.  With no-one to pass to Brunt tried his luck, and was amazed as McMahon suffered his second misfortune by deflecting his effort past the wrong footed Ross Turnbull and into the goal.

Boro should have equalised just minutes later, But somehow a back peddling Scott Carson managed to deflect Stewart Downing’s freekick onto the crossbar.  It came at a cost for Carson however, as the keeper crashed uncontrollably backwards into his own post.  As Carson lay injured and stranded Chris Riggot headed the ball to Alves, who looked a cert to score from the edge of the six yard box.  But he headed his chance against the bar, allowing Albion to clear the danger and Carson to receive treatment.

Both teams seemed unsettled by the calamity of events which had made up the games opening, and the half took its time to find any kind of stride.  Albion could only muster up a series of half chances, and Boro even less than that, with Alves squandering their only other chance to note up until that point in the 24^th minute. 

West Brom began to find their stride as the half time break approached, and on the half hour mark Donk slid Jay Simpson clear of the Boro defence.  The on-loan youngster paced towards goal, and only the brave actions of Turnbull in goal to save at Simpson’s feet stopped him from netting Albion’s second.

Boro were forced into a change as Riggot limped off, he was replaced by Huth.  But Albion continued to press, Fortune nearly scoring his first from a tight angle, only for Turnbull to deny him.  Carson was next into action, providing an excellent block to Alves 15 yard effort after he had thwarted the challenges of both Donk and Barnett.   It would prove to be Leon Barnett’s last piece of action, as he joined the defensive casualty list for Albion – Pele coming on in replacement to make his first appearance in the Premiership.

Half Time: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Middlesbrough.

Albion might have been 2 goals up within three minutes of the restart, a defensive clearance from Brunt was well controlled by Fortune and he slid Simpson in who was well away past Digard.  The Arsenal loanee skipped past Huth and curled in an effort from 15 yards, which was just inches wide with Turnbull well beat.

In the 54^th minute however the pressing paid off and Albion bagged their second.  A clever one two between Koren and debutant Fortune saw Koren’s 12 yard effort deflect off the heels of Fortune and past the wrong footed Turnbull in Boro’s goal.

Boro boss Gareth Southgate responded by bringing on Mido.  But Alves continued to waste efforts for the northerners as he sent a downward header wide from Tuncay’s inch perfect cross.  To add to Boro’s woes they were down to ten men in the 64^th minute as Digard was dismissed for a two footed challenge on Valero. 

Just three minutes later Robert Koren killed the game off by making it 3-0.  Brunt played Koren through and he made no mistake in slotting the ball coolly past Turnbull.  Albion looked confident in possession and continued to press against a down and out Boro side.  Substitute Luke Moore forced a goal line clearance, and he might have scored again in the final minutes of the game but was muscled out by Turnbull.

3-0 was enough however, and Albion cruised to their biggest league win of the season.

Full Time: West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Middlesbrough

Brunt (4)

Fortune (54)

Koren (67)

Attendance: 25,557

 

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