Morgan late show gives Roo Blues on Brum starter
WAYNE ROONEY will have to keep right on to the end of the groan after being sunk by Boro sub Morgan Rogers.
On his maiden voyage as Birmingham boss, Rooney looked like banking a hardearned draw at the Riverside until Rogers’ 89th-minute winner left him scowling under his baseball cap.
The England legend was brought in to replace John Eustace on a ticket of “no-fear football” – but thanks to 21-year-old Rogers, who cut his teeth at Manchester City, he started with a dose of no-points football.
“We need to be better, we need to improve with the ball,” admitted Rooney.
“It’s going to take a bit of time, but we need to be more comfortable taking the ball and be more creative by doing that.
“Did I enjoy it? You never enjoy it when you concede so late, it’s always hard to take.
“But we knew we might have to go through days like this and it’s important to stay calm.
“The great thing about the Championship is games come thick and fast.”
The last of Rooney’s 758 games as a player in club football was a 3-0 defeat at the Riverside with Derby three years ago – and this one didn’t have a happy ending, either.
Rogers’ first League goal for Boro, nudging Matt Crooks’ low centre inside the near post, left manager Michael Carrick, Rooney’s long-time team-mate at Manchester United, purring.
Carrick said: “I can’t fault the boys – it was a tough game but they dealt with it well and found a way to win.
“I’m really pleased for Morgan – it’s a big goal for him and for everyone.”
After Seny Dieng’s smart low save to foil Krystian Bielik, Boro had all the best chances of a gritty opening 45 minutes – all of them falling to Josh Coburn.
But the 20-year-old prospect headed wastefully over the top from Dan Barlaser’s free-kick, dragged another great opportunity wide from 12 yards and just failed to connect with Sam Greenwood’s driven cross.
The Smoggies also felt short-changed by referee Rebecca Welch’s charitable interpr-etation of Emmanuel Longelo’s challenge on Isaiah Jones. Home fans were unhappy Blues keeper John Ruddy was only booked for wiping out Jones 20 yards outside his area.
After the break, Ruddy excelled with a fingertip save to deny Hayden Hackney and sprawling effort from a Crooks header, but Rogers had the final say with time running out.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Dieng 6; Smith 6 (Forss, 81), Fry 7, Mcnair 7 Engel 6; Barlaser 6 (Howson, 76), Hackney 8; I Jones 7, Crooks 6, Greenwood 5 (Rogers, 76, 7); Coburn 6 (Latte Lath, 69, 6) BIRMINGHAM: Ruddy 8; Drameh 6, Sanderson 7, Long 6, Longelo 7; Gardner 5 (Bacuna, 62, 6), Bielik 7, Sunjic 6 (James, 83); Stansfield 6 (Jutkiewicz, 83), Hogan 5 (Miyoshi, 70, 6), Dembele 7 (Burke, 62, 6) STAR MAN: Hayden Hackney. Watch this kid go, he’s going to be top drawer. REF: Rebecca Welch 5