Managerless Boro are beaten again

A YEAR after Gareth Southgate was sacked, Middlesbrough are looking for a new manager again.

In the absence of his successor, Gordon Strachan, there was a show of unity at the City Ground last night – but it failed to last the entire 90 minutes.

An inability to build on an encouraging start under caretaker manager Steve Agnew allowed Nottingham Forest to score a cheap goal that forced Middlesbrough temporarily in to the Championship’s bottom three.

Promotion might still be the objective this season for chairman Steve Gibson, but Lewis McGugan’s freakish free-kick winner has reminded, if one was needed, the whole of Teesside what a sorry mess the club is in.

A campaign which started with anticipation under Strachan is now heading fast towards November in search of a new manager and a team capable of turning around an ailing season threatening relegation to League One.

It seems unlikely a new boss will be installed to lead the team to Norwich City on Saturday, where Middlesbrough head with just one win from their last 13 matches.

But there was a hint that such a scenario would have been on the cards before McGugan’s cross-cum-shot from the touchline extended Middlesbrough’s run without a clean sheet to nine games.

Despite Forest’s lowly position in the Championship, they had proven hard to beat until succumbing to a second loss of the campaign at Barnsley on Saturday. A failure to improve on six draws this season has been the reason why they are not in the promotion mix.

It might only have been Agnew’s first match in charge as caretaker, but historically the trip to the City Ground is hardly the perfect place for him to start. In the last 36 years, spanning 27 matches, Boro had only won once and that was in 1999.

Middlesbrough actually made a bright start. There was plenty of movement going forward and they made a number of chances in the first half.

Strachan had tested out the merits of playing with a threeman forward line. Agnew went one step further and included all three of the squad’s main strikers in his starting line-up.

It was a step that showed plenty of promise, with the movement of the trio, interchanging runs, causing problems for the Forest defence.

The problem was that it failed to last.

Lee Camp, the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, was forced to turn a deflected Scott Mc- Donald strike away for a corner within 70 seconds, while his attacking partners also had attempts before 20 minutes was up.

Had Leroy Lita’s gone in, it would have capped a fine move. Tony McMahon, recalled to right-back and completed a number of sparkling runs throughout the night, passed inside for McDonald, whose lay off provided Lita with an opening which Camp held.

On past reputation, such an attacking trio should have wreaked havoc in the Championship.

Forest had a taste of what many other clubs have failed to see, it was just a goal that was missing.

Kris Boyd was guilty of wasting a half chance, volleying wide when another McMahon delivery fell behind him, but the danger signs had been there. The opening goal, however, was still missing.

And for all of Middlesbrough’s vibrancy, Forest still had the ball enough to cause problems. That was highlighted when Chris Cohen cruised inside left-back Matthew Bates before driving low to the alert Jason Steele.

The greatest let off for the visitors arrived seven minutes before the break. Gary O’Neil had previously set up Lita to waste a fantastic chance before Forest should have made him pay.

A routine ball in to the area was half cleared, then McGugan helped the ball back over the Middlesbrough defence.

An unmarked Dexter Blackstock, eight yards out, was afforded the time to bring down the ball before side-footing wide.

While Lita then pulled his shot wide again after a fine lay off by Mikael Tavares inside the area, Forest’s confidence had grown and Polish midfielder Radoslaw Majewski’s rasping drive bounced off the bar, down and to safety to keep things level.

That was indicative of what was to come. Forest had suddenly found the belief and it proved decisive.

When McMahon had brought down McGugan close to the byline, the position should not have caused too much of a problem. However, the attacking midfielder’s delivery evaded the heads in a crowded area and dropped in to Steele’s bottom left.

Middlesbrough might have been desperate for an equaliser but Camp was never seriously tested. They are lucky not to be in the bottom three this morning, but it feels like they are.

Match facts

Goal: McGugan (51, 1-0)

Bookings: Bertrand (70, time-wasting); Wheater (90, foul)

Referee: Steve Tanner (Bristol) 6

Attendance: 22,115

Entertainment: ✰✰

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-5-1): Camp 6; Gunter 7, Chambers 6, Morgan 7, Bertrand 6; Anderson 6, McKenna 6, McGUGAN 7 (Moussi 78), Majewski 6 (McGoldrick 82), Cohen 7; Blackstock 5 (Adebola 70, 5). Subs (not used): Wilson, Adebola, McCleary, Thornhill, Darlow (gk).

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-3-3): Steele 7; McMahon 6, WHEATER 7, McManus 6, Bates 6; O’Neil 6, Tavares 5 (Smallwood 56, 6), Bailey 5 (Miller 82); Lita 6 (Bennett 69, 5), Boyd 5, McDonald 6.

Subs (not used): Coyne (gk), Kink, Hines, Williams.

MAN OF THE MATCH

DAVID Wheater – defended like he was desperate to put on a show of pride