Premier League
| Wigan Athletic 0 | |
|---|---|
| Middlesbrough 1 |
|
- guardian.co.uk, Monday October 6 2008 00.01 BST
- The Guardian, Monday October 6 2008
For a club sponsored by a company that manufactures satellite navigation devices, Middlesbrough have shown an unfortunate propensity to lose their way on their travels. If a first League away win of 2008 suggested an improved sense of direction, their road to victory nonetheless encompassed some unlikely turns and bemused the Wigan manager, Steve Bruce, who deemed the first half "one-way traffic".
It was gridlock thereafter until Jérémie Aliadière, who appeared to have found reverse gear this season by moving from attack into midfield, delivered a late winner. Courtesy of a new-look back four, Middlesbrough managed their first clean sheet of the campaign while suggesting they have taken a circuitous path to defensive excellence.
Jonathan Grounds and Chris Riggott have taken detours, via a loan spell at Norwich and the reserves respectively, but in harness with the excellent David Wheater, they repelled Wigan's attacks. "It's a big step in the right direction for me and the club," said Riggott. Once a reported target for Liverpool, he finished last season on loan at Stoke. Riggott has started only 16 of 83 Premier League games during Gareth Southgate's tenure but on Saturday he dovetailed with Wheater in a display of defiance to thwart Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki that drew admiration from Bruce.
Southgate made a meaningful contribution of his own, incorporating a third central midfielder at half time to contain the free-running Wilson Palacios, Middlesbrough marrying unyielding resolve with tactical flexibility as 4-4-2 became 4-5-1. Southgate added: "We've got players who are adaptable to those sorts of changes."
Practising shooting had been a priority for a previously profligate team last week. Reward came in the form of Aliadière's smooth strike, swept in after Stewart Downing headed a cross from the influential substitute Didier Digard into his path. "The only chance we got, we scored," said Aliadière, who punished Wigan and those, including the Blackburn-bound Fabio Capello, who favoured an early exit.
Yet there was a predictability to the denouement, if not the identity of the victor; all four of Middlesbrough's away games have been determined in the last five minutes. "We've lost too many games to late goals ourselves in the past," added Riggott. "That is the worst feeling." At the JJB Stadium, however, Aliadière provided the three-point turn on the road.
Man of the match: David Wheater (Middlesbrough)
