Middlesbrough Fight Back for 2-2 Draw at Preston

Middlesbrough twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Preston and stay top of the Sky Bet Championship. 

Sontje Hansen was accredited with Boro’s second goal amidst a chaotic goal-line melee in which a cross caused chaos, although many believed ex Preston midfielder, Alan Browne had the final touch.

Lewis Dobbin had put the hosts in front with a stunning finish to a 22nd-minute solo run from Jordan Storey’s through-ball pass, before Targett pulled Middlesbrough level from Storey’s scruffy clearance and interception of Tommy Conway.

Storey then nodded in a 88th-minute effort to put Preston back in front prior to the injury-time melee.

Middlesbrough remain top of the table and unbeaten in the league, whilst Preston climbed to seventh in the table.

Sat top of the table and with the Championship’s Manager of the Month, Rob Edwards in charge plus a recent poor away record at Deepdale, the omens seemingly were against Boro given the often bemused habit of clubs struggling immediately after their manager was voted ‘Manager of the Month’.

If any away fans had hoped that particular latter omen wouldn’t apply here, they were much mistaken as Preston enjoyed much of the possession with little quality on the front foot in the opening 21 minutes, amidst a resolute Middlesbrough defence.

That defensive resilience eventually was broken through Storey’s through-ball pass to Dobbin who was left free to cut across and side-step his way into space, from which the Aston Villa loanee smashed his shot straight into the top-left corner to put the Lilywhites in front.

Boro almost got back level just three minutes later after Daniel Iversen punched a corner kick down to the feet of Luke Ayling, but the defender volleyed his shot over the bar from six yards as Boro failed to carve out many chances to equalise before half time.

Middlesbrough however upped the intensity early in the second half and Callum Brittain almost equalised from Iversen’s block of Morgan Whittaker’s 53rd-minute shot, but the goal was disallowed due to Brittain’s offside position.

Preston three minutes later almost doubled their lead after Dobbin played an one-two move with Alfie Devine, only for the forward’s chipped return pass back towards Devine to be cleared.

Middlesbrough eventually found their equaliser from Nypan’s 72nd-minute low cross towards Conway who got a scruffy touch, which allowed Jordan Storey to tamely flick away for Targett to smash low into the far-right corner.

Preston however had won their last five meetings at home against Middlesbrough and retook the lead from a 88th-minute corner as Storey nodded in unmarked, after Targett had blocked Storey’s cross.

Edwards’s Boro however refused to accept a first league defeat of the season and snatched a scruffy equaliser amidst a goal-line melee, with Hansen adjudged to had initially netted their second goal before Browne got a slight touch to confirm the ball across the line after Iversen had blocked Ayling and Targett’s shots.

Officials awarded the goal to Hansen as Boro clung on for a first point at Deepdale since a 2-0 win in January 2020.

 

What’s Next?

Preston head to Derby County in their next league game on Saturday 20 September at 3pm BST.

Middlesbrough face a top-of-table clash against fellow early high-fliers, West Brom at home on Friday 19 September at the Riverside Stadium, in a 8pm kick-off.

 

Teams

Preston: Daniel Iversen, Jordan Storey, Lewis Gibson, Andrew Hughes, Pol Valentin, Alfie Devine (Armstrong 62′), Ben Whiteman, Ali McCann, Thierry Small (Vukcevic 79′), Lewis Dobbin (Frokjaer-Jensen 62′), Daniel Jebbison (Smith 62′)

Substitutes: Harrison Armstrong, Tom Carroll, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, Liam Lindsay, Odeluga Offiah, Michael Smith, Andrija Vukcevic, Jack Walton, Stefan Thordarson.

Middlesbrough: Sol Brynn, Alfie Jones (Hansen 89′), Darragh Lenihan, Luke Ayling, Callum Brittain, Aidan Morris, Hayden Hackney (Browne 84′), Matt Targett, Morgan Whittaker (Nypan 66′), Tommy Conway, Kaly Sene (Strelec 46′)

Substitutes: Alan Browne, George Edmundson, Sverre Nypan, Sontje Hansen, Jon McLaughlin, Rio Patterson-Powell, Abdoulaye Kante, Samuel Silvera, David Strelec