Boro back on track with Rovers win

SECOND best at Southampton, Middlesbrough rediscovered their touch three days later to run out deserved winners at Doncaster.

Yes, the quality of the opposition was somewhat different, with Rovers struggling in the relegation zone after claiming just two wins all season. But having been comprehensively outplayed on the south coast at the weekend, the Teessiders still displayed commendable resolve and spirit to claim a fifth away victory of the season in South Yorkshire.

Trailing to a 14th-minute strike from Billy Sharp, it would have been easy for Boro to have panicked in the wake of two successive away defeats. Instead, they steadied themselves almost immediately and secured a nerve-calming success thanks to a Barry Robson brace and a close-range effort from Marvin Emnes.

The pair now boast 16 goals between them this season, and if Tony Mowbray's side are to remain involved in the promotion picture in the remainder of the campaign, you suspect they will continue to be vital.

Emnes has deservedly hogged the headlines, but Robson, who scored with a long-range strike and a penalty, is a revitalised figure under Mowbray and is becoming increasingly integral to Boro's preferred style of play, especially away from home where his breaks from midfield are causing so much damage.

Ultimately, he was the key figure in last night's game, although the visitors had to recover from a shaky opening spell to claim all three points and return to third place in the table.

Having watched his defence fail to cope with Southampton at the weekend, Mowbray reverted to three centre-halves and recalled Stephen McManus. The ploy was supposed to ensure solidity, but instead Boro's new-look backline proved every bit as porous as its predecessor had been four days earlier.

It took Doncaster just 14 minutes to claim the lead, and there was a sense of inevitability about the identity of the scorer of the opening goal.

Rovers captain Sharp opted to play last night despite losing his two-day-old son, Louie Jacob, at the weekend. The game was preceded by a minute's applause in honour of his loss, and his willingness to appear for a side battling against relegation at the foot of the table was commendable.

Not, however, that Middlesbrough's players would have been particularly pleased with his presence. There appeared little on when El-Hadji Diouf flicked the ball into Sharp's path on the corner of the 18-yard box, but with Jason Steele having advanced from his line, the striker arced a fantastic first-time volley over the goalkeeper and into the net.

Diouf was making his Doncaster debut having signed a three-month contract on Monday, and while the former Sunderland attacker is one of the most controversial figures in the game, it appears that at least some of his ability remains intact.

The 2,700-or-so travelling supporters were quick to berate the Senegal international, no doubt remembering the 2004 incident when he was fined £500 after spitting at an 11-year-old Middlesbrough fan, but his flicks and passes were a prominent feature of a bright opening spell from the hosts.

Boro's early attacking was less effective, but ironically their cause was helped by a 21st-minute injury to Justin Hoyte that led to the introduction of Faris Haroun and a swift tactical reshuffle.

Haroun lined up on the right of a midfield four, with Robson pulling wide on the opposite flank. Immediately, the visitors looked better balanced, and it took them just nine minutes to claim an equaliser.

Scott McDonald was fouled close to the halfway line, but referee Darren Deadman played an intelligent advantage, enabling Robson to advance on goal. Two Doncaster defenders stood off him, and the Scotland international cracked a fierce 20-yard drive past compatriot Neil Sullivan.

He almost turned provider minutes later, delivering the cross that enabled McManus to head narrowly over the crossbar, and having been Boro's only bright spark on Saturday, once again underlined his value as a thrusting threat from midfield.

He wasn't the only Boro player to improve as the first half wore on, however, and after gradually finding their passing range, the visitors fashioned an exquisite move to claim the lead in stoppage time.

McDonald was the primary architect, and while the striker remains devoid of confidence in front of goal, it would be hard to better the ball that released Haroun down the right flank.

The Belgian squared across the area, and having drifted in front of his marker, Emnes produced a side-footed shot that squirmed under Sullivan and trundled into the net. Ten goals in 15 starts - how can a certain former Middlesbrough manager ever have doubted him?

Ahead for the first time in five away matches, the Teessiders were able to exhibit more control after the break, giving little away at the back and probing in numbers when the opportunity arose.

Nicky Bailey tested Sullivan with a vicious long-range strike in the early stages of the second half, while McDonald would finally have broken his lengthy duck had former Darlington defender Shelton Martis not blocked his side-footed strike. The rebound broke invitingly for Haroun, but the substitute, whose energy undoubtedly helped change the game, failed to find the target.

Nevertheless, Boro were comfortably in the ascendant, and a third goal deservedly arrived in the 65th minute. It came at the end of a frantic spell that saw Sullivan save from both Emnes and Tony McMahon, before a clumsy Pascal Chimbonda bundled over the latter in the area. Robson assumed duties from the spot, and hammered home his second goal of the night with aplomb.

MATCHFACTS

Goals: Sharp (14, 1-0), Robson (30, 1-1; 65, pen, 1-3), Emnes (45, 1-2)

Bookings: Naylor (30, foul), McManus (34, foul), Friend (49, foul), Bailey (68, dissent)

Referee: Darren Deadman (Peterborough) 6

Attendance: 9,792

Entertainment: 4/5

DONCASTER (4-4-2):

Sullivan 5; Chimbonda 4, Martis 5, Naylor 5, Friend 4; Mason 4 (Coppinger 59, 5), Gillett 6, Ilunga 4, Hayter 5 (Bennett 59, 5); Diouf 4 (Barnes 73), SHARP 7.

Subs (not used): Maxted (gk), O'Connor.

MIDDLESBROUGH (3-5-2):

Steele 6; McMahon 7, McManus 6, Bates 7; Hoyte 5 (Haroun 22, 8), R Williams 6, Bailey 7 (Arca 71), ROBSON 8, Bennett 6; McDonald 7, Emnes 6 (Zemmama 84).

Subs (not used): Kink, Ogbeche.

Man Of The Match: BARRY Robson - The Scotland international carried a goalscoring threat every time he entered the final third and increasingly looks a cut above Championship level.