Britt’s just enough to mar return for Monk
BRITT ASSOMBALONGA ruined Garry Monk’s return to The Riverside with his first goal of the season.
A second home win in a week also kept unbeaten Boro top of the table.
But Monk’s successor Tony Pulis reckoned his side should have coasted to victory as he stretched his personal unbeaten record against Monk to four games.
Pulis said: “It was a game we could have won by five or six goals.
“All the chances we created were absolutely outstanding and we’ve hit the bar twice, hit the post twice and we’ve had one cleared off the line.
“We’ve created chance after chance after chance and the disappointing thing is we’ve only scored one goal. But I am really pleased – seven points, great start.”
Assombalonga scored 15 goals for Boro last season after he was signed by Monk in a £15million club-record deal from Nottingham Forest.
He finished the season out of the Boro side after Pulis’ arrival and was facing an uncertain future.
But he has been handed a fresh start after Patrick Bamford was sold to Leeds.
He grabbed his first of this season in the 12th minute when the home side caught Monk’s men on break.
George Friend blocked a Cheikh Ndoye shot and Jonny Howson launched a long pass into the path of Assombalonga.
The Congo international looped a shot over Connal Trueman thanks to a slight deflection off Maxime Colin which took the ball out of the keeper’s reach.
City were reduced to ten men for the last seven minutes when Craig Gardner was harshly dismissed for a late tackle on Howson.
Monk said: “We showed a lot of endeavour and fight but this is a league that demands you are on your game, especially against one of the better teams.
“The red card made it more difficult.
“I looked straight at it and there was no malice. It wasn’t done dangerously.
“We will consider an appeal. It wasn’t a red card.”