Boro fit for Woody fight
JONATHAN WOODGATE may be struggling in his first managerial gig but his Middlesbrough players are certainly fighting for him.
Boro are still in the bottom three despite two Britt Assombalonga goals and a battling display.
However, Woody was feeling the love after Darren Randolph, Ashley Fletcher and skipper George Friend all declared themselves fit despite previously being ruled out
Woodgate said: “On Wednesday Randolph, Friend and Fletch were all out. On Friday they came and knocked on my door and said, ‘Gaffer, I want to play.’ All three of them.
“They were not 100 per cent but they said they wanted to play for me.
“That’s top because they could have taken the easy option. That shows what the players are like.
“I’m really confident in this team. I have no negative people in my dressing room. Our leaders take no s***. We’re all fighting in one direction. I’ve been putting pressure on myself from day one.
“I’ve told Britt to stay confident. No matter what, I back him. He was terrific today.” It had looked like
Boro would struggle to put out a full bench given their injury crisis.
But Randolph, Friend and Fletcher made their team competitive.
Yet it threatened to be another one of ‘those days’ for Boro when Daniel Ayala’s early header was controversially ruled out of offside.
But Assombalonga headed the Teessiders into the lead despite stumbling as he tried to reach Jonny Howson’s 23rd-minute cross.
Incredibly, that was
Boro’s first goal in over six-and-a-half hours – and Assombalonga’s first in six games.
Within two minutes, QPR were level as Nahki Wells slotted in from Ilias Chair’s flick for his ninth of the campaign.
Rangers led when Randolph pushed Grant Hall’s header onto Jonny Howson and it went in as an own goal a minute before the interval.
Boro were indebted to Randolph, who produced a super show in goal to deny Ryan Manning, Wells and Ebere Eze.
But against the run of play, they took advantage of a sloppy 69th-minute back pass from Wells with Assombalonga coolly finishing.
QPR boss Mark Warburton said: “Nahki is human. If we take responsibility at the other end it would relieve that burden. Nahki has put his hand up – he made a mistake and we move on.
“We need to be more clinical as a group of players. It’s a frustrating two points dropped.”
QPR MIDDLESBROUGH 7 ........ Shots on Target .........4 3 ........ Shots off Target ......... 3 8 ................Corners .................6 20 ................ Fouls....................9 2 ............... Offsides .................5 78.1 ... Passing Success % .. 68.8 456 ...... Total Passes ........ 282 61.2...... Possession % ..... 38.8 41.3 ..Territorial Adv % .. 58.7