Football League Cup Round 2

MIDDLESBROUGH v PRESTON NORTH END - 26 August 2014

The Football league Cup (under its present sponsored guise of the Capital One Cup) makes its debut in A Good Cup Run, and with Hartlepool already having disappeared in round 1 without a whimper 6-2 at Port Vale, only Middlesbrough remain to carry the flag for the locality. After a sound win at Oldham in the last round they once more face League 1 opposition, this time at home, against Preston North End.

Middlesbrough have had a hit and miss start to the season but Preston are going well in their division so this could be a good game. Unfortunately not many home fans seem to fancy it as, despite the attractive £10 entry price, twice as many seats are empty as filled.

The first half starts slow and only fitfully gets above walking pace. Some of the loudest cheers are when established first-teamers get off the bench and go for a jog down the touchline, manager Karanka having adopted the fashionable ‘squad rotation’ approach the this increasingly Cinderella competition.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, the nearest thing to a shot on target occurs when Clayton hits an uncontested drop ball to the Preston keeper with a bit too much elevation. Unsurprisingly it’s nil-nil at half time; the crowd, announced as 10,727 are wondering if even £10 was excessive for this fare.

If the game needed a goal there was not long to wait. A Boro free kick is awarded on the edge of the Preston box from which Tomlin bends a shot up, over the wall and down into the unguarded side of the goal; it’s so perfect the Preston keeper only moves to retrieve the ball from the net.

You wait 51 minutes for a goal and then three minutes later another one arrives – this time at the other end. Again a free kick starts it, but Preston play it left of the Boro box from where an unchallenged cross eventually finds the net via Jordan Hugill’s head (capping a good performance from the local lad who featured for some years in the Northern League).

Suddenly it’s a goal-fest as only another three minutes elapse before Albert Adomah finally makes his pace tell on the Boro right, getting to the by-line half a step ahead of the full back and crossing hard and low to the near post. Boro centre forward Fewster can’t get put it in but Preston centre half Clarke does the job instead for an own goal.

The game is lively now and after nine more minutes Tomlin picks up the ball just inside the Preston half and drives forward. Despite four opponents in attendance he maintains possession to the edge of the box from where he coolly slots home to give Boro a 3-1 lead.

Preston gamely try to respond and Boro threaten more, particularly when Kike comes on, but there are no more goals and Middlesbrough progress to round 3 to maintain the League Cup state of play as: 1 through, 1 out.