Middlesbrough 0 Leicester City 1

AFTER the optimism of the opening weeks of the season, the harsh reality of life in the Championship is hitting home.

In front of the lowest league crowd in 14 years at the Riverside, Middlesbrough last night slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Leicester that extended their winless run to three matches.

It is far too early to talk of a faltering promotion charge, with the Teessiders still just five points off the top of the table. But if the quality of a desperately drab encounter is anything to go by, the next few months could be a test of endurance rather than a period to be relished.

A number of supporters already appear to have jumped ship, with an attendance of just 18,577 representing a new low. On the evidence of the booing that accompanied the end of the game, though, it could yet get lower.

Matches like this won’t endear Gareth Southgate to the Middlesbrough supporters who appear to have lost faith in his managerial capabilities, and a sizeable section joined chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ that emanated from the away end.

The Teessiders created little all evening, and while’s Lloyd Dyer’s 83rd-minute winner came largely out of the blue, it was always a possibility.

The mood, it is safe to say, is growing increasingly mutinous.

Yesterday’s game marked the Riverside return of Nigel Pearson, who captained Boro for four seasons in the mid- 1990s and he has assembled a team in his own obdurate image.

Solid in both defence and midfield, the visitors restricted Middlesbrough to a handful of opportunities all night and worked tirelessly to restrict the supply chain to the home side’s danger man, Adam Johnson.

Johnson served notice of his threat as early as the fifth minute, nudging the ball past full-back Michael Morrison before prodding a shot that was saved by goalkeeper Chris Weale, but that proved an unreliable indicator of what was to come.

With Morrison closing him down at every opportunity, Johnson spent much of the night trying ever-more elaborate passes that failed to find their target. With ability comes attention, and the 22- year-old is having to learn that patience can sometimes be a valuable part of the winger’s art.

In fairness to Johnson, his vision still represented a rare ray of light with a 37thminute dribble that took him past three defenders providing the highlight of the first half.

It was ended by a foul from Wayne Brown, and set up a free-kick on the edge of the area that Julio Arca curled well over. It was safe to say that the execution of the setpiece was more representative of the match than the run that brought it about.

Boro’s only other first-half chance saw Jeremie Aliadiere drill a 20-yard strike straight at Weale, while Yann Kermorgant proved equally as ineffective at the other end, shooting high over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

For the rest of the time, the match meandered along via a succession of hurried passes in the face of some diligent pressing from both sides.

Exciting it certainly was not, and things did not improve after the interval.

The otherwise anonymous Marvin Emnes created a rare chance eight minutes into the second half, but after some nifty footwork created space in the box, he blazed over.

That proved his final act with Southgate introducing both Leroy Lita and Mark Yeates on the hour.

Yeates’ introduction helped, as the Irishman’s width provided a much-needed alternative to Johnson. He curled in a free-kick that David Wheater headed straight at Weale, before providing two excellent late crosses that set up headed opportunities for Lita and Sean St Ledger. The first was directed wide, but the second, a powerful, instinctive effort, produced the save of the night from Weale.

Leicester looked to have settled for a draw but there was to be a dramatic twist.

Jack Hobbs fired a warning in the 82nd minute, heading against the post after Brad Jones had spilled Matt Oakley’s long-range shot, but there was to be no escape for the hosts 60 seconds later.

Oakley rolled the ball into the path of the unmarked Dyer, and the midfielder drilled a low shot past Jones courtesy of a deflection of full-back Tony McMahon.

Matchfacts

Goal: Dyer (83, 0-1) Bookings: Oakley (71, foul)
Referee: Mark Haywood (Leeds) 6
Attendance: 18,577
Entertainment: ✰

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Jones 4; McMahon 6, St Ledger 6, Wheater 6, Bennett 5 (Digard 86); O’Neil 4, Williams 5, Arca 5 (YEATES 62, 7) Johnson 6; Aliadiere 5, Emnes 4 (Lita 62, 4). Subs (not used): Coyne (gk), Grounds, Hines, Digard, Franks.

LEICESTER (4-4-2): Weale 6; Morrison 6, HOBBS 8, Brown 6, Berner 5; Gallagher 5 (Adams 71), King 4, Oakley 6, Dyer 6; Fryatt 5 (Waghorn 61, 4), Kermorgant 4 (Howard 61, 5). Subs (not used): Logan (gk), Neilson, McGivern, N’Guessan.

MAN OF THE MATCH
JACK Hobbs – rock solid in defence