WANDERERS 3-5-2

BEN AMOS 6

Unlucky with the third goal after making a stunning save from Fabbrini. Amos bailed his side out on a couple of occasions in the first half.

ROB HOLDING 5

Struggled early on and couldn’t get near Kike but looked a little more comfortable when he moved to right-back.

DORIAN DERVITE 5

Made a few decent tackles and blocks but got caught on the ball too often. Like others in the back three, he was left hopelessly exposed.

PRINCE-DESIRE GOUANO 5

Dragged out of the middle too often because Adomah had got in behind Moxey and didn’t look comfortable at all. A difficult day for the Frenchman.

JOSH VELA 4

Seemed to have no confidence in his positioning on the right but even when he moved into the middle, he looked way off the pace. Must improve.

JAY SPEARING 4

Subbed at half time after conceding possession on any number of occasions. Has the leadership Wanderers need but is he Lennon’s type of player?

NEIL DANNS 4

Didn’t get involved as Middlesbrough swamped Wanderers in the first half hour. Poor in possession and didn’t offer enough protection to his back four.

MARK DAVIES 4

Captain – but hardly fantastic. Davies was anonymous for most of the game when he should have been trying to lead by example.

DEAN MOXEY 4

Was always going to be a tough day for the full-backs but Moxey’s race looked run after his first mistake five minutes in. Confidence drained away from there.

LIAM FEENEY 4

Other than chasing down the goalkeeper it was hard to see what Feeney achieved in the first hour of the game. Nothing like good enough.

EMILE HESKEY 6

Battled hard but never had the pace or support to do any lasting damage to Kalas and Ayala, who coped with the former England man comfortably.

Subs: Clough 46 (for Spearing) 6 – At least provided a little spark Walker 69 (for Feeney) 5 – Tried to get involved Wilson 75 (for Holding) 5 – Arrived too late to make impression Not used: Fitzsimons, Madine, Dobbie, Twardzik.

STAR MAN – Zach Clough Added a little bit of life to the second half after replacing Jay Spearing and worked a couple of opportunities for himself with some impressive dribbling. The youngster didn’t get any reward for his efforts but at least it gave Wanderers’ fans something to get behind.

MIDDLESBROUGH 4-2-3-1

DIMI KONSTANTOPOULOS 6 EMILO ENSUE 7 DANIEL AYALA 7 TOMAS KALAS 7 GEORGE FRIEND 7 ADAM CLAYTON 7 GRANT LEADBITTER 7 ALBERT ADOMAH 8 DIEGO FABBRINI 8 STEWART DOWNING 7 KIKE 8 Subs: Stuani 63 (for Fabbrini) 6, Not used: Mejias, Stephens, Husband, Fry, Forshaw, Nugent.

THEIR STAR MAN – Diego Fabbrini Aided by the fact Wanderers gave him all the space in the world, the on-loan Watford striker took maximum advantage. One stunning goal, a couple of assists and a swagger that made him an instant hero at the Riverside.

MATCH STATS

POSSESSION Boro – 55 Wanderers - 45

SHOTS ON TARGET Boro – 7 Wanderers - 1

SHOTS OFF TARGET Boro – 10 Wanderers - 7

CORNERS Boro – 7 Wanderers - 3

FOULS AGAINST Boro – 9 Wanderers - 6

OFFSIDES Boro – 3 Wanderers - 0

Booked: None

Sent off: None

Attendance: 23,333 (524)

Referee: James Adock (Nottinghamshire) 7 An easy game for the referee to handle – no cards and no major incidents to judge.

Goals: Boro – Fabbrini 7, Kike 17, 32 Wanderers - None

Entertainment – 7/10

The first half was great if you’re a Boro fan, in fact it’s hard to see how it could have been any better. Wanderers were just woeful. The second half was a more relaxed affair, and the home side should really have gone on and increased their lead.

Atmosphere – 8/10

You can tell it’s an expectant home crowd at Boro but they can also be a loud one, and they had plenty to shout about from early on in the first half. Nearly 600 Wanderers fans made the trip and only really sprung into life in the second half when they knew the game was well beyond their team.

Match point – Wanderers’ failure to get to grips with the 3-5-2 formation cost them early on and by the time Lennon changed to something else, his team were three goals down. The manager admitted it had been a mistake – but surely his players have to bear the brunt of responsibility?

Magic moment – Albert Adomah was waiting to come back on to the field of play after losing his boot. The referee took an age to signal him back on, at which point the Gambian winger pretended to be asleep on the touchline!