MIDDLESBROUGH cruised to their first Championship win of the season with a 3-0 demolition of Bolton Wanderers.

Diego Fabbrini scored one and set up two as Aitor Karanka’s side tore into the visiting Trotters in Boro’s first home game of the season.

David Nugent came on for the last ten minutes after signing in a £4m deal from Leicester City on Friday.

Boro started brightly and maintained such intensity in a ferocious opening 45 minutes against a sluggish Bolton side.

Stewart Downing, making his second home debut and playing his first game at the Riverside Stadium in a Boro shirt since 2009, forced a save out of Ben Amos with two minutes on the clock, while George Friend rifled one wide from 20 yards moments later.

But Boro took a deserved lead on seven minutes when Fabbrini collected the ball from Friend and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner courtesy of a slight deflection.

It was two ten minutes later when Fabbrini pirouetted past Dorian Dervite and played a perfectly-weighted ball into Kike, who slotted home.

Two became three on 31 minutes when Kike bundled in after Fabbrini’s effort was palmed against the crossbar by Amos.The Northern Echo:

And it was almost four when Grant Leadbitter fired one just over the crossbar moments before the interval.

The pace dipped considerably after the restart, with Boro facing Derby County on Tuesday evening, but Downing almost opened his Boro account for the season when he drilled a Fabbrini backheel wide of the post.

Kike brought another smart save out of Amos on 57 minutes when he curled towards goal from an acute angle, but the former Manchester United keeper turned the Spaniard’s shot over the bar.

Emile Heskey came closest to breaking Bolton’s duck when he stabbed wide from a Trotters’ cross, but it was a rare foray forward for a Bolton side lacking in quality, cohesion and confidence.

Nugent spurned a late opportunity at the death when he stabbed over from close range, but the points were well and truly in the bag long before then.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1): Konstantopoulos; Nsue, Kalas, Ayala, Friend; Leadbitter, Clayton; Adomah (Forshaw 74), Fabbrini (Stuani 64), Downing; Kike (Nugent 83). Subs: Mejias, Stephens, Husband, Fry.

BOLTON WANDERERS: Amos; Dervite, Holding (Wilson 78), Prince; Vela, Danns, Spearing (Clough 46), Davies, Moxey; Feeney (Walker 70), Heskey. Subs: Fitzsimons, Madine, Dobbie, Twardzik.