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“I cannot believe we are not ahead,” writes Middlesbrough fan Vic Rushton. “Conway should have had a hat trick. Though Southampton can’t be this bad in the second half. The nerves and frustration will start to get unbearable the longer this goes on. We’ve seen this before.”
I really think this Southampton performance – of course meticulously prepared – is by design. Sit back and hold on for a draw. Although I agree that they’ve got to do better heading the other way. They’ve not had a shot and not even come close.
Half-time reading: The League One playoffs get under way later today, starting with Stevenage v Stockport County at 3pm. Dominic Booth has been to check on Stockport during their preparations this week …
Half-time: Middlesbrough 0-0 Southampton
As one-sided a half of football as you will ever see. Middlesbrough have had all of the ball and all of the attempts at goal (17 to 0) but Southampton have held firm. Both managers will be fairly pleased with it, ironically.
45+2 min: Wood concedes another corner and Ayling’s flick-on at the near post is wide.
45+1 min: Whittaker’s corner is cleared by Southampton.
45 min: Whittaker’s shot flies over via a deflection as two minutes are added on at the end of the half.
44 min: Ayling tries to find McGree at the back post but the offside flag goes up. Let’s just say Southampton could do with half-time.
42 min: Peretz is called into action again as Targett drives low towards the far corner from the edge of the box, the Saints goalkeeper diving down to his left again to parry it away. Ayling tries his luck from the other side but his shot is blocked.
40 min: Morris picks Azaz’s pocket on halfway and Boro flood forward again. Targett smacks a cross across the box but no one’s at the back post to turn it in. Morris wins another corner for Boro … it’s pinball as Conway scuffs the ball goalwards and Peretz dives down to his left to preserve his clean sheet.
38 min: Ayling chucks a throw into the Southampton box but Malanda can’t flick it on to a teammate. Manning enjoys an adventure over the halfway line for Saints but a rare attack for them comes to nothing.
Middlesbrough hit the post!
36 min: Suddenly there’s a load of space on a Boro break and McGree feeds the ball to the left to Conway. His first-time effort is curled low and pings back off the foot of the post.
34 min: Peretz takes an age over a goal-kick and Southampton surrender the ball again. Targett goes long to Strelec but Wood prevents him from creating a shooting opportunity.
32 min: Another big chance! Whittaker pulls the ball back across the Southampton six-yard box. Conway takes a touch when maybe he should shoot first-time and Bree throws himself in the way of the eventual effort. It seems a matter of time before Boro find a way through.
30 min: Ayling goes close! The centre-back steps into some space in the Southampton half, slips through a challenge and shoots just wide of the far post from the right of the penalty area.
28 min: Ayling wins a free-kick off Azaz in a way that only Ayling can, with a bit of a flop. From it Boro apply some pressure on the edge of the box until Morris shoots well over the bar from distance.
26 min: Targett drifts a free-kick across the face of goal but none of his teammates can get on the end of it. Fry has to deal with a ball pumped down the middle and does so, heading back so his goalkeeper Brynn can have a touch.
24 min: As a few more Middlesbrough corners come and go, it becomes increasingly evident that Southampton have come to the Riverside looking for a clean sheet and not much more. Certainly in the first half.
22 min: Peretz flaps at the corner and just gets enough on it to prevent Malanda from getting his head on it for Boro.
20 min: Southampton find some respite in the form of a couple of throw-ins they can take their time over. Conway comes again for Middlesbrough, driving inside off the left and hitting a shot that’s blocked out for a corner by Harwood-Bellis.
18 min: Big chance for Boro! Brittain charges into the penalty area down the right and cuts the ball back for McGree but he can’t guide it on target from just outside the six-yard box.
16 min: Whittaker shifts the ball on to his left foot on the edge of the box and fires a shot over the crossbar. Larin again fails to hold the ball up against Fry. It’s all Middlesbrough.
15 min: Whittaker gets to the byline for Boro and wins a corner after Fellows skews a clearance the wrong way. Whittaker goes short, gets the ball back from Conway and the cross floats harmlessly out for a throw.
13 min: Southampton try to break again but it’s not sticking to Larin. They’ve not really had a kick in Middlesbrough’s half.
11 min: Half-hearted shouts for handball from the home supporters after Strelec tries to get on the end of Brittain’s cross and it bounces off a Southampton defender. Bit of a nervy moment for Saints but they escape.
9 min: Malanda wins the ball for Boro on the halfway line and Strelec carries it forward to the edge of the Southampton box. Ayling’s cross from deep is overhit and out for a throw.
7 min: Whittaker’s corner is an excellent outswinger and Strelec glances it over the bar. The Boro strikes shakes his head – decent chance, that.
6 min: McGree storms into some space in the final third for Boro but his pass to Conway is short and Southampton get back. McGree then wins a corner, sliding to shoot and Harwood-Bellis comes across to block.
4 min: Ayling looks for Whittaker with a ball down the channel but Peretz comes off his line to gather. Matt Targett, facing the club where he came through, sends a harmless cross into the Southampton box.
2 min: Boro venture forward down the right but Morgan Whittaker’s cross into the box bobbles safely through for a goal-kick. Boos for former Boro player Finn Azaz as he gets on the ball for the first time.
Kick-off
A very frosty handshake between the two managers – Kim Hellberg not even making eye contact with Tonda Eckert – and we’re under way!
‘Ten years on, take us back where we belong’ is the banner unfurled by the Boro fans as the players emerge from the tunnel.
Who’s ready for more playoff drama? We’re about to get under way at the Riverside.
As you can imagine both sets of fans are getting stuck in to ‘spygate’. There’s around 10 minutes till kick-off.
Championship playoffs: Aaron Bower was at the MKM Stadium for last night’s other semi-final first leg between Hull and Millwall … don’t let the headline put you off.
Tonda Eckert has been speaking to Sky Sports pre-match, often failing to suppress a smile, about accusations of spying against Southampton:
I believe the club has made a statement. That’s all I can say at the moment.
I believe when you arrive in this moment of the season it’s not coaches who win games, it’s the players. It’s going to be the same today. We are focused on ourselves and we have been all week. We know that we face a very good team today. It’s going to be a big challenge.
We’ve been consistent with confidence and humility. We always play to win, that hasn’t changed. We will try to do the same today.
Southampton charged with misconduct over 'spying' row
Louise Taylor
Southampton have been charged with misconduct by the English Football League and will face an independent disciplinary commission set to be convened “at the earliest opportunity”.
Middlesbrough remain furious after catching a man they maintain belongs to Tonda Eckert’s backroom staff allegedly spying on a vital training session before Saturday’s Championship playoff semi-final first leg against Southampton at the Riverside Stadium.
It is understood that Steve Gibson, Boro’s owner, will expect the south coast club to be punished severely. Under a rule introduced to deal specifically with spying in 2019, such cases are dealt with by independent disciplinary panels with the power to impose a wide range of punishments ranging from reprimands to fines, points deductions and, in extreme cases, expulsion from the competition.
Under EFL regulations Southampton would ordinarily have 14 days to respond to their two charges but, in a statement, the governing body said it had asked the disciplinary commission to “convene a hearing at the earliest opportunity”.
On Thursday Middlesbrough reported that a Southampton employee had been caught filming and making audio recordings of Boro’s manager, Kim Hellberg, taking training at their Rockliffe Park base near Darlington after being spotted hiding in bushes.
It is understood Middlesbrough possess compelling CCTV footage of an incident that concluded with the man they allege is a Southampton first-team analyst entering a toilet at the adjacent Rockliffe Hall hotel and re-emerging with a changed appearance.
Starting lineups: Injured Hackney misses out
Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney has not recovered from a calf injury in time to be involved for this one – he’s not even on the bench.
Middlesbrough XI (3-4-3): Brynn; Ayling, Fry, Malanda; Brittain, Morris, McGree, Targettl Whittaker, Conway, Strelec
Subs: Wildsmith, Gilbert, Browne, Silvera, Castledine, Hansen, Ibeh, Sarmiento, Hunt
Southampton XI (4-2-3-1): Peretz: Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning; Downes, Jander; Fellows, Azaz, Scienza; Larin
Subs: Long, Stewart, Quarshie, Archer, Edozie, Charles, Matsuki, Welington, Bragg
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Spygate 2.0. The buildup to this Championship playoff semi-final has been dominated by accusations that Southampton have been peaking through the bushes at Middlesbrough’s training ground this week – Saints have now been charged with misconduct by the EFL and will face an independent disciplinary commission “at the earliest opportunity”. The club have said they will be fully cooperating with the EFL throughout the process. Shades of Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds and Frank Lampard’s Derby in 2019 for sure. We’ll get into the weeds, or brambles, of that shortly.
It will certainly make for one hell of an atmosphere at the Riverside this lunchtime as Middlesbrough host Southampton in the first leg on the road to Wembley and the Premier League, with the return fixture at St Mary’s on Tuesday. Kim Hellberg’s Boro saw their push for automatic promotion fade away in the final weeks of the season while Saints have surged up the table under the 33-year-old Tonda Eckert and came close to breaking into the top two themselves.
Fetch your binoculars for kick-off at 12.30pm (BST) and get in touch via email as the action unfolds. Team news will follow.
