Boro bow out of the cup but with reasons to Bee upbeat
When the teamsheet was about to be released at 5pm there was a sense of anticipation.
Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock told the media on Friday that he planned to play the strongest side possible for Saturday’s FA Cup game at Brentford – yet a Covid-19 outbreak at the start of the week had ruled out several firstteam players.
For that reason, around 50 per cent of the squad would be made up of under-23 players, many of whom have progressed right the way through the Teessiders’ highly-rated academy.
Supporters love to see a homegrown player break through the ranks, so the inclusion of 18-year-olds Nathan Wood and Hayden Hackney in the starting XI will have been pleasing.
In thebuild-up to thegame, Warnock spoke about his admiration for the FA Cup and the importance of taking it seriously despite difficult circumstances.
Yet the Boro boss had also admitted his side weren’t going to win the competition, and suggested to the 12th Man Podcast last month that he could name a full team of home-grown academy players.
With the Teessiders in contention for a play-off spot after 22 league games, the league is clearly the priority. In many ways the trip to Brentford was something of a free hit.
A 2-1 defeat will obviously sting, but will also simplify Boro’s season.
For many, though, this was an opportunity to impress.
Despite many players being unavailable, Boro’s starting XI was stronger than many were anticipating, with Warnock making seven changes from the side which beat Wycombe Wanderers last weekend.
I n c a m e D je d S p e n c e, Hayden Coulson, Lewis Wing and Manchester City loanee Patrick Roberts – all players with a point to prove.
Hackney and new goalkeeper Jordan Archer were the only debutants in a side which still had an average age of 22.8, even if the seven-man
bench had just three firstteam appearances between them before kick-off, all of whichcamefromSamFolarin.
It should be noted this wasn’t a full-strength Brentford side either, with the Bees making nine changes from their League Cup defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, while manager Thomas Frank was self-isolating after testing positive for the virus.
But despite the changes, Boro’s Achilles heel was their inability to take their chances, registering 23 efforts at goal compared to Brentford's nine.
Asexpectedthehostsdominated possession in the early exchanges, yet Boro posed a threat on the counter-attack, particularly through Marcus Browne.
The23-year-oldmarkedhis first league start of the season with a goal at Wycombe and had the beating of full-back Mads Roerslev when the Tees
siders sprung forward.
Browne’s best effort came when the game was still goalless, as he ran onto Roberts’ neat pass before forcing a low save from Luke Daniels.
The Bees keeper made a string of fine saves in the opening 45 minutes, keeping out decent efforts from Wing and Akpom.
At t h e o t h e r e n d , t h e visitors defended well but switched off at key moments.
Boro assistant Kevin Blackwell was shouting ‘handcuffs’, telling Coulson to get tighter to midfielder Halil Dervisoglu, when Saman Ghoddos delivered a 35th-minute corner.
T h e m e s s a ge wa s n’ t enough, though, as Dervisoglu stroked the ball home first time to put his side ahead.
Yet the opening 45 minutes was overshadowed by an injury to Browne, who went to ground unchallenged and had to be stretchered off after dislocating his knee.
It’s a cruel blow for a player who has only just recovered from a hamstring issue and was starting to find form.
Browne’s injury did allow Folarin to enter the fray and score his first senior goal three minutes after half-time. It was a wonderful moment for the 20-year-old, who joined Boro from non-league club Tooting & Mitcham.
One player who Boro fans willhavebeeninterestedto see is Roberts, who had made just three starts since returning to the club on loan from Manchester City.
Warnockhasadmittedhe’ll hold talks with the 23-year-old abouthisfuture,suggestingwe may have seen the last of the playmaker in a Boro shirt.
Yet Roberts started in the No. 10 position at Brentford, with Warnock still seemingly reluctant to play him out wide.
It was a mixed evening for Roberts, who once again showed flashes of his ability, likewhenhecutinsidedefender Fin Stevens and forced Daniels into a low save.
Yet the Boro man drifted in and out of the action on an evening when he’ll have hoped to make a telling difference.
Browne’s injury may mean Boro want to hang on to Roberts for the second half of the season, yet the latter’s future remains unclear.
At the other end of the pitch, it was surprising to see Marc Bola not only start at centre-back but also captain the side.
This time last year, the 23-year-old was loaned out to Blackpool and struggled to get a game in League One, yet he’s now become a key player for Warnock.
There were other positives on a mixed night, with Hackney showing good composure on the ball and taking his chance to impress.
Boro fans will hope it was a sign of things to come.