First defeat for Boro Reserves

RIVERSIDE: Middlesbrough Reserves lost for the first time this season when going down to a solitary goal against Manchester City at the Riverside last night.

An open entertaining game saw both sides create chances with Boro squandering a handful of opportunities to open the scoring.

City keeper Carlo Nash was in good form stopping a 20-yard drive from Allan Johnston with 15 minutes played and thwarting the same player on the stroke of half time when he produced another smart stop. But Boro keeper Sam Russell was also called on to make smart stops to deny Matias Vuoso and Jeff Whitley.

The only goal of the game was scored eight minutes from time when Shaun Goater drilled a low shot passed Russell from a tight angle after missing with two relatively simple headers.

It was a disappointment for Steve Rounds' side, although there were some good performances from Boro with Tony Vidmar looking strong in a central defensive role.

Middlesbrough Reserves: Russell, Davies, Gavin, Vidmar, Cade, Wilkshire, Marinelli, Wilson (Smith 46), Downing, Whelan (Dove 75), Johnston. Subs not used: Turnbull (GK), Gulliver, Burnhardt.

SUNDERLAND: Emerson Thome made his eagerly-awaited comeback in Sunderland Reserves' 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday last night.

Thome, who has undergone two knee operations during a nine-month lay-off, played for 72 minutes in the game at Hillsborough.

Ben Clark put an effort over before Paul McLaren gave the home side a 32nd minute lead, beating Craig Turns with a low shot from 20 yards.

Jonjo Dickman tested Kevin Pressman with a firm drive, the Wednesday keeper doing well to tip the ball over.

Michael Reddy also had a low shot saved before McLaren grabbed his second goal of the night five minutes before the break.

Turns was at fault with a terrible fumble which presented McLaren with the simple task of tapping the ball into the unguarded net.

Chris Brown, Michael Reddy and Tom Peeters all went close before Sunderland grabbed a consolation goal on 82 minutes. The Owls defence failed to clear Sean Thornton's low right-wing cross and Brown side-footed past Pressman.

Sunderland Reserves: Turns, Clark, Rossiter, Thome (Peeters 72), Varga, Dickman (Brown), Thornton, Schwarz, Reddy, Oster, Black

VOGTS: Scotland's striking saviours Stevie Crawford and Steven Thompson were both on target as the rejuvenated nation gave Berti Vogts his second success in the space of four days against Canada at Hibernian's Easter Road last night.

The new frontline pair built on their impressive display in Iceland on Saturday to cancel out Dwayne de Rosario's shock opener for the Canadians at a bitterly cold Edinburgh.

But although Vogts was quick to play down the weekend triumph, some of the slack defending in particular on show proved to the demanding Tartan Army that there was still a long, long way to go.

Crawford hit back after Canada's early penalty and helped himself to a deserved second in the 71st minute when he was in the right place at the right time to fire home.

The Dunfermline man had the chance of his hat-trick moments later after Paul Devlin dummied, but he pulled his right-foot shot past the post.

Thompson's strike for the third goal saw the fans leave happy - but the Scotland coach knows there is still much work to do