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Kenny's late blunder keeps Boro on road to Wembley
YESTERDAY morning, Teesside was rocked by the biggest earthquake to hit England in almost a quarter of a century. Last night, though, a dramatic extra-time own goal from Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny meant Middlesbrough avoided an FA Cup shock of equally seismic proportions.
With more than 200 minutes of football having failed to produce a goal, Boro's fifth-round clash with the Blades looked certain to go to penalties when Mido's 20-yard shot deflected off the prone Chris Morgan and hit the left-hand post.
The ball was still heading to safety after it rebounded off the upright, only for a kneeling Kenny to hold out his hand and palm it into the goal. It was a fittingly scruffy goal to settle a dreadfully scruffy tie.
Not, of course, that Middlesbrough were complaining, with Kenny's own goal having set up a winnable home quarter-final against Championship strugglers Cardiff. Four years ago tomorrow, Boro were in the Welsh capital winning the Carling Cup. Today, they are dreaming of another Cardiff celebration to set up a maiden appearance at the new Wembley stadium.
Middlesbrough have Kenny to thank for that as, prior to the Blades goalkeeper's aberration, they had rarely looked like making a breakthrough despite fielding the most expensive attacking line-up in their history.
Record signing Afonso Alves wasted two decent opportunities in normal time, and full-back Luke Young prodded a tame shot straight at goalkeeper Kenny after fine approach play from the Brazilian, but Middlesbrough's lack of incision meant extra-time was an inevitability for the majority of a largely disappointing encounter.
Stewart Downing, Boro's most dangerous attacking player for most of the evening, went close to winning the game in extra-time, but a 20-yard drive flashed into the side netting and Kenny saved a subsequent strike after it had deflected off Derek Geary.
Penalties looked all but inevitable when Kenny made an even better save to turn substitute Tuncay Sanli's low drive around the post, but the goalkeeper's bizarre intervention meant Boro were able to celebrate a third FA Cup quarter-final in the space of three seasons without the need for spot-kicks.
The Teessiders went into last night's game harbouring a simmering sense of injustice following an FA regulatory committee's decision to increase Jeremie Aliadiere's suspension, but the Frenchman's absence enabled Southgate to pair £12.7m man Alves with the £6m-rated Mido.
The fruits of Boro's Academy programme were evident at the other end of the field, with 19-year-old Seb Hines covering for the suspended David Wheater at centre-half and Jonathan Grounds continuing to deputise at left-back on his 20th birthday.
Hines scored when he made his Middlesbrough debut in a Riverside replay in last season's FA Cup, and the Wetherby-born youngster came close to repeating the feat in the opening six minutes of last night's game.
Fabio Rochemback's left-wing free-kick caught the Sheffield United defence napping but, with Kenny having left his line, Hines was unable to prevent his looping header from drifting over the crossbar.
At least he made a decent connection with the ball though, something that could not be said for Alves when he spurned a glorious opportunity to score three minutes later.
The Brazilian reacted quickest to Rochemback's left-wing corner, but having stolen ahead of his marker on the edge of the six-yard box, he glanced a weak downward header well wide of the far post.
With Downing also flashing a shot wide of the upright after cutting in from the flank, the hosts were in the ascendancy for the majority of the first half.
Making their advantage count, however, was a problem. Downing skewed a right-footed shot wide after an incisive one-two with Rochemback had taken him into the heart of the 18-yard box, and Kenny parried a venomous Alves free-kick that bent and dipped in a manner reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo. On the whole, though, Boro's first-half finishing could not match the quality of their build-up play.
That was certainly true in the 43rd minute, with Alves' blistering turn of pace embarrassing centre-half Matthew Kilgallon, only for Young to prod the South American's pull-back straight at the legs of the exposed Kenny. Had the roles been reversed, Boro would almost certainly have gone into the interval ahead.
As it was, they started the second half with the deadlock intact despite 135 minutes of football, and extra-time looked a certainty throughout a tight and largely uneventful second half.
In part that was due to Middlesbrough's profligacy - Rochemback failed to find the target with a long-range pile-driver and Alves drilled a 14-yard strike straight at Kenny after positive approach play from Arca - but in part it was also a result of some questionable Sheffield United tackling.
Twice Downing threatened to forge a breakthrough down the flank. Twice he was felled by challenges that were both crude and illegal.
Two of Sheffield United's three yellow cards were for fouls on the England international but, from the Blades' point of view, the goalless scoreline was proof of their value.
The introduction of substitute Lee Martin was also proof of Sheffield United's desire to progress to the last eight and, as the second half wore on, the visitors became increasingly prominent as an attacking force.
Southgate's decision to replace Alves with Tuncay was an attempt to give his side similar momentum, but while the Turk provided some of the guile Boro had been lacking, Alves' departure seemed perverse given the hosts' need for a breakthrough and the laboured display being produced by the Brazilian's partner, Mido.
Boro continued to press as time wore on, but the best chance of a winner in the regulation 90 minutes came Sheffield United's way in stoppage time. Gary Speed's cross eluded two Middlesbrough defenders, but James Beattie prodded wide.
2:02am Thursday 28th February 2008
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