Hayday for Boro rookie
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Jonathan Woodgate hailed rookie Hayden Coulson for coming to his side’s rescue.
Both of the match goals were collectors’ items.
Lewis Travis got just his second of the season to give Rovers a 57th-minute breakthrough.
And Coulson scored his first for Boro in the 75th minute, just four minutes after coming off the bench.
Woodgate said: “When Hayden came on, he was fantastic. He was ill before the last game and didn’t quite recover in time, and he’s trained for three days.
“It was important to bring him off the bench and he made a big difference. He has that explosion of pace. He’s naturally a winger, but he can play leftback. There’s a lot more to come from him.’’
On a day of reunions, Woodgate – a Boro player when Tony Mowbray was manager – was in opposition to brother-in-law and former team-mate Stewart Downing, who was playing against his old club at the Riverside for the first
MIDDLESBROUGH time. And Woodgate was delighted at Downing’s reception.
He said: “I was clapping myself when Tony brought him off.
“When Stewy retires, we should bring him back to the academy.’’
Blackburn had Joe Rankin-costello, 20, making his first senior start, and the midfielder wore a head bandage after a lengthy spell of first-half treatment.
Rovers then lost Lewis Holtby with a knee ligament injury on 37 minutes before Paddy Mcnair’s dangerous cross clipped the visitors’ bar.
Boro skipper Jonny Howson was a whisker away after the break with a diagonal shot and on-loan Manchester City striker Lukas Nmecha blazed wide.
Blackburn struck when Travis took a return from Adam Armstrong and slipped the ball into the far corner.
But after keeper Christian Walton could only get a hand to Lewis Wing’s effort,
Coulson tapped in at the far post to level.
Former Rovers striker Rudy Gestede was denied late in the game, his header from Marvin Johnson’s free-kick saved, and he glanced another opportunity wide.
Blackburn Rovers boss Mowbray said of Travis:
“He’s an amazing kid, a boy really, and a Scouser with fire burning in him.
“Trav’s set on playing at the top of this game.”
BLACKBURN