Third Round 7 January 2012

MIDDLESBROUGH V SHREWSBURY TOWN

It is the first weekend of 2012 and third round day in Middlesbrough. Cool and bright, as good as it gets in early January, and even at 2 o’clock there is already a discernable drift of fans towards the match. This coalesces into a steady current as it channels into the popular approach from the town centre to the ground. This has an old fashioned feel to it: through tunnels, over the railway and through a decaying industrial area; the route flanked by burger vans and police minibuses.

This dated impression is then banished by the sight of the Riverside Stadium, still retaining its modern if now generic look, and now with its immediate surroundings smartened up as part of the Middlehaven development. Its latest neighbour, the Tremolos artwork, is hopefully not a portent with its giant rings displaying a 0-0 score line.

The stadium has all the amenities expected of the top flight ground – bar coded tickets for electronic gates, refreshment concourses, all fans seated under cover – it’s a long way from Newton Aycliffe. As kick off approaches the crowd is below average for the Boro, but it is still by far the biggest yet in the cup run. The £10 admission is reasonably priced for the game and it looks like some families have taken advantage to have an affordable afternoon at the match. Over a thousand Shrewsbury fans have come for the big day out and form a densely packed island behind one goal. The familiar pre-match handshaking ritual is observed with Middlesbrough in red shirts (currently with a white yoke rather than chest bar) and Shrewsbury in an unusual combination of blue and yellow stripes.

From kick off Boro take control passing the ball patiently and soon create an overlap on the right enabling Hoyte to fire a shot that is deflected wide. From the corner Ogbeche heads wide. However Shrewsbury have come to play and soon seize on an error to create a shooting chance that goes narrowly wide. Back down the other end another Boro corner is volleyed over. Thus the play progresses, each Boro carefully worked attack and effort is soon matched by a more direct Town counter attack, with the big Marvin Morgan looking a handful for Bates & Williams.  Boro are playing a 4-3-3 formation, possibly due to their midfield injury crisis, and Shrewsbury are lined up as 4-4-2, so when the visitors break from defence they tend to have free men in dangerous positions. It’s a good contest and the half passes quickly.

Five minutes from half time the natives are getting restless when an angled dipping cross from the left into the crowded Shrewsbury penalty area is just about tamed by Emnes and poked into the corner of the net for a barely deserved lead. There have been chances at both ends so credit Boro for actually taking one.

There is organised entertainment in the interval with a hit the bar competition, but no winners today; the programme is £2.50 but is packed with good stuff, including a typically daft contribution from Harry Pearson on club nicknames.

The first 15 minutes of the second period takes place entirely in the Shrewsbury half, with Bates and particularly Williams snuffing out any attempt to break out, but there is no end product for Boro. However the effort cannot be sustained and the pattern of the first half re-emerges. Morgan shakes off his minders to unleash a shot that is well saved by Steele. This stirs Boro into action again and Emnes takes a long diagonal pass in his stride only to hit the side netting. The best chance falls to Ogbeche who, through one on one with the keeper, is unable to sort his feet out sufficiently to score.

With twenty minutes left there is a rash of substitutions, including the Boro keeper, and what emerges is Boro now playing 4-4-2 facing a Shrewsbury team who have swapped to a 4-3-3. Their additional forward is the nippy Jon Taylor who goes through on goal and is left in a heap by replacement Boro keeper Coyne. The Shrews fans behind the goal do their best, but the referee decides it’s no penalty. The last ten minutes consist Shrewsbury pressing hard and Middlesbrough forwards failing to exploit the acres of space this leaves. The crowd figure is announced at 12,631 and all but a thousand are waiting on the final whistle.

Into 3 added minutes and Morgan has another good shot well saved by Coyne. The ball goes up the other end and Emnes gets clear but is pulled back before he can shoot. There are 20 seconds remaining, a free kick just outside the box, it’s a shot to nothing, a chance to make the score respectable; but the ball is played into the corner to use up time. It almost backfires as, amid the disgusted boos from the home crowd, possession is lost and the ball is swept up field for one last Shrewsbury effort which is snuffed out again by Bates & Williams to the home fans relief.

The game ends on this anti climax. The honours go to Shrewsbury for their contribution to the game; the place in the fourth round goes to Middlesbrough for their 1-0 win.

Third Round – 7 January 2012 - Preview

The first Saturday of the new year means third round cup day. This used to be a landmark in the season as the clubs in the top two tiers finally make their entrance. It should give fresh impetus to those teams out of the title race and create exciting opportunities for fans of the lesser teams to see up close and personal the best players in the country.

Alas those days are disappearing fast. Most Premiership and Championship clubs, and a worrying proportion of their fans, will see this weekend as an unwelcome distraction or diversion from the main business of European qualification, avoiding relegation or achieving that dream promotion. I use the term business advisedly: the ultimate aim for all but seven clubs is a sustainable mediocrity that keeps the TV money coming in. To achieve that, they will field reserve players galore and jeopardise potential glory in a competition that they actually have a chance of winning. They will also deny opposing fans their chance to see the stars.  

Rant over we turn to the state of the competition.  The North East lost Gateshead in round 2, but now Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough enter and all three are in fine form. Will they have the bottle to compete or will they just go through the motions?

Two of the three are at home:

Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers

Newcastle are already almost safe from relegation so must see the FA Cup as worthwhile having a go at. If they can beat Man U they should fear no-one. Blackburn however, despite also beating Man U, remain deep in the relegation mire, and will probably field the second team. Newcastle’s only problem may be over-confidence.

Middlesbrough v Shrewsbury

Middlesbrough were first out of the bag when the draw was made and the home tie against League 1 opposition is both a good opportunity to progress and a potential banana skin. Boro have not been as convincing at home as away, especially against sides they should be beating easily. So it could be close, but even if they cannot do the job at home, they should progress via any replay.