Middlesbrough 3 Burnley 2: Williams leaves it late to win it for Mowbray's men
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UPDATED:
21:24 GMT, 21 August 2012
Luke Williams sealed a first npower Championship win of the season for Middlesbrough with a thunderous late goal to down Burnley.
The Clarets had looked course to continue their 100 per cent start to the season when Charlie Austin headed home the opener shortly before the break.
But Nicky Bailey equalised with a screamer from distance a minute later, before Adam Reach lashed in a thunderbolt late in the second half.
Leaving it late: Luke Williams puts the game beyond the reach of Burnley after scoring the wining goal
MATCH FACTS:
Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte, Woodgate, Rhys Williams, Friend, Bailey (Smallwood 72), Leadbitter, McEachran, Reach, Ledesma (Zemmama 69), Main (Luke Williams 84).
Subs Not Used: Leutwiler, Hines, Halliday, Haroun.
Booked: Woodgate.
Goals: Bailey 42, Reach 79, Luke Williams 88.
Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Shackell, Edgar, Mills, McCann, Wallace (Mee 77), Marney, Stanislas, Austin, Vokes (Bartley 59).
Subs Not Used: Jensen, Duff, Stock, MacDonald, McCartan.
Booked: Bartley.
Goals: Austin 41, Stanislas 86.
Attendance: 15,559
Referee: Carl Boyeson
Check out all the latest, stats, facts and table from the Championship
Junior Stanislas converted a header to
seemingly limit the hosts to a solitary point but Williams stunned the
travelling fans with yet another Boro rocket to grab all three on offer.
With defeat at Barnsley marking an
inauspicious start to the campaign, there was a heightened sense of
expectation back at the Riverside, where last season's poor displays put
paid to any hopes of promotion.
There was no such anxiety for a
buoyant Burnley side, though, with Eddie Howe's men fresh from a
convincing opening-day victory over Lancashire rivals Bolton.
Fans of both sides arrived intrigued
by Boro's surprise loan capture of Chelsea starlet Josh McEachran and he
duly replaced veteran Julio Arca in midfield.
Youngsters Curtis Main and Reach also earned first league starts to give the team a youthful dynamism.
Indeed there were six home debuts,
with George Friend, Grant Leadbitter and Emmanuel Ledesma also strutting
their stuff on Teesside for the first time.
Burnley made one change, Howe resting one of Saturday's goalscorers, Martin Paterson, and fielding Sam Vokes.
McEachran soon showed why a host of
Premier League clubs were interested in his services as he dusted a
series of passes through a packed midfield before Boro had their first
solid chance on goal.
In the 25th minute Chris McCann
conceded a free-kick for a foul on Reach, Ledesma obliging to whip the
ball just beyond the near post.
The hosts continued to grow in
confidence and might have scored if Justin Hoyte had connected a toe to
Ledesma's canny through-ball.
Reach then dragged a shot just wide of the target before Burnley took the lead in the 41st minute.
Pressing forward, Dean Marney fed Kieran Trippier who crossed cleanly from the right for Austin to steal in and head home.
The boisterous celebrations of the
away fans were muted one minute later, however, as Bailey silenced the
south stand with a stunning daisycutter.
After Main competed for a heavy ball
forward with Clarets skipper Jason Shackell, Bailey looked up just once
before rifling the rebound into the bottom corner from 20 yards.
Following five frenetic pre-interval minutes, the second half got off to a more sedate start.
It was not until the 56th minute that
McEachran reinvigorated the home faithful by heading Reach's diagonal
cross against the turf and wide.
Joseph Mills missed the target with a left-footed drive at the other end before Marvin Bartley replaced Vokes on the hour mark.
But Boro continued to pass the ball
about incisively, and Main almost emulated Bailey as he drove a fierce
shot against Lee Grant's outstretched glove in the 68th minute.
Reach very nearly headed the second
in the 75th minute, Grant standing tall to deny the young winger. Soon
Leadbitter picked his spot but pinged the ball wide as Boro pressed on.
A nervous Howe replaced Ross Wallace
with Ben Mee, but it was to no avail as Reach picked up a loose ball to
scoop a wonderful drive across Grant and into the back of the net just
two minutes later.
Stanislas edged a goalmouth scramble to scuff a header beyond Jason Steele and seemingly stifle the celebrations.
But it was Williams, a tactical
substitute for the tiring Main, who had the final word with an
unstoppable drive into Grant's top corner.
