Pulis scoring big with his strikers

BORO’S improved goals prowess could yet prove a promotion clincher for Tony Pulis’ men.

The Riverside boss has worked wonders to increase the goals output against all the odds and give the team a big chance of qualifying for the play-offs.

Boro are the fourth-top scorers in the Championship since Pulis arrived. Only Fulham, Villa and Wolves have fared better.

And they have been hammering the back of the net despite the fact they have lost a few strikers over the past few months.

Martin Braithwaite returned to France in January, Ashley Fletcher also went out on loan, to Sunderland, while Rudy Gestede is ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury.

Braithwaite and Fletcher cost Boro a combined fee of £15m last summer, while Gestede had been Pulis’ first choice up front before picking up his injury.

In addition to these expensive signings, Boro have also been without Britt Assombalonga because the £14m record signing has generally been out of favour.

If Pulis has got lucky, it is in seeing the previously overlooked Patrick Bamford come in to lead the line and score a flood of crucial goals.

Bamford was top scorer in Aitor Karanka’s side three years ago. But there were fears at one stage that he might have lost his touch in front of goal.

On the contrary, Bamford has come back as deadly as ever. His goals are one of the prime reasons why Boro have entered the play-off battle, so hopefully his absence is only temporary.

While Pulis may have been fortunate with Bamford, the manager has gained his just rewards for his hard work on two other fronts.

First of all Pulis’ efforts on the training ground have worked wonders with Adama Traore.

The Spaniard was a frustrating player in the first few months of the season, blowing hot and cold. But Pulis has turned him into the player we always hoped he would be.

Traore is not only creating chances, but scoring goals as well.

Pulis’ other major impact on the goals front is in expanding the team’s scoring ability to other departments. Boro have gradually become extremely effec- Tony Pulis’ training-ground work with Adama Traore is bearing fruit

tive at set-pieces, which is another credit to the work on the training ground.

In this respect, nobody has bought into what Pulis wants than central defender Dani Ayala.

If Pulis had been in charge at the Riverside from the start of the season, it’s reasonable to assume Ayala would be in double figures by now.

The stats speak for themselves. In Pulis’

first 10 league and cup games, Boro failed to score on six occasions.

The turning point came at Hull City in mid-February, when Boro won 3-1. They followed up with the 3-3 draw at Sunderland and have since been scoring in every game.

If Boro can stay on the goals trail, the Premier League dream will remain within reach.