Match Stats – One Man Finally Returns After The Summers Discontent But Pulis Has The Last Laugh

Earlier this evening head coach Darren Moore took the West Bromwich Albion first team boys up to Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium.

With steady improvement in games so far in 2018/19, everything came together in the 7-1 hammering of Queens Park Rangers and whilst few were expecting a repeat of that against defensive Tony Pulis’ promotion tipped side, all that mattered was a positive result against our former gaffer.

Sadly that didn’t happen and Pulis got the final hurrah following a stoppage-time winner by Daniel Ayala.

West Brom might have suffered defeat but there were positives even if Boro edged chances, again as we already knew we have a way to go in terms of gelling properly and we’ve seen how good we can be, and how bad we can be. Now it’s about sorting out some consistency but that is always the last thing to come.

If I can take one thing from tonight though, seeing Craig Dawson return to the pitch should at least mean decent conversations have been had given his summer and that should be a positive we can lean on the down the line even if tonight is disappointing.

Middlesbrough				West Bromwich Albion
Ayala (90+1)
Randolph				Johnstone
Ayala				Adarabioyo			69
Fry				Bartley
Flint				Hegazi
Shotton				Gibbs
Howson				Phillips
Clayton				Livermore
Friend				Brunt
Downing			72	Barnes			69
Braithwaite			86	Rodriguez
Assombalonga			81	Gayle			83
Substitutes
Konstantopoulos				Robson-Kanu			83
Leadbitter				Morrison			69
Hugill			81	Myhill
McNair			86	Burke
Fletcher				Barry
Wing				Dawson			69
Besic			72	Field

Game Statistics
18	Goal attempts	13
4	On Target	2
10	Corners	4
12	Fouls	11
3	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
38	%	62