BOLTON (4-3-3):
Alnwick 5; Darby 4 (Burke 46, 4), Wheater 5, Beevers 5, Robinson 4; Derik 4 (Cullen 65, 5), Pratley 4, Karacan 5 (Le Fondre 75, 5); NOONE 7, Madine 6, Morais 5.
Substitutes (not used): Howard (gk), Buckley, Armstrong, Wilbraham.
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1):
8 Randolph: Vital early stop from Gary Madine denied Bolton the chance to get any momentum going, and made two more fine saves after half-time
7 Christie: Able to get forward regularly, blazing over a good second-half chance, though he came under pressure defensively after the break
7 Fry: Another solid display from the 20-year-old, who is enjoying a consistent run of form in the Boro back four
7 Gibson: Worked well with his fellow centre-back, with whom he is forming a fine partnership. A threat going forward at set-pieces too
7 Fabio: Retained his place at George Friend’s expense, and proved his value as an attacking full-back with a series of positive forward runs
7 Leadbitter: Took the captain’s armband from Gibson as he made his first league start of the season, and provided the leadership required
8 Clayton: Shielded the defence well, and always had an eye for the right pass, though he survived a first-half penalty appeal when blocking Craig Noone’s shot
9 TRAORE: At his unstoppable best with the thrilling assist for Assombalonga’s first goal; Boro will be glad they held off Lille’s interest
8 Baker: The Chelsea loanee was unlucky not to get a second-half penalty when he was barged into off the ball by Derik Osede
7 Downing: Back in the fold after Birmingham failed to sign him, and did enough to suggest he still has a part to play for Garry Monk
8 Assombalonga: Another double for the £15m man, and it would have been a hat-trick but for Ben Alnwick’s late save
Subs:
Johnson (for Baker, 68): An excellent debut for the signing from Oxford, topped by a goal that came with a bit of luck 8
Bamford (for Downing, 75): Helped see out the victory with his cameo 7
Fletcher (for Traore, 82)
Not used: Konstantopoulos (gk), Friend, Shotton, Howson.
Man Of The Match – ADAMA TRAORE: The Spanish winger has been maddeningly inconsistent during his Boro career, but this was his best performance for the club.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here