Middlesbrough 1 Swansea City 1

Jan 24 2010 Sunday Sun

MIDDLESBROUGH needed the luck of the Irish to claw from behind and take a precious point against high-flying Swansea.

Dubliner Willo Flood was as amazed anyone when his speculative cross swerved in at the far top corner to grab a freak equaliser for injury-ravaged Boro in an lacklustre 1-1 draw at the Riverside.

The Celtic old Bhoy was making his home debut after last week’s Friends Reunited treble transfer from Glasgow and put in a display of graft and energy.

But even he admitted the swirling, dipping ball just before the hour was a freak.

That gave beavering Boro a point they probably deserved on a bleak day that was high on workrate, but light on entertainment.

They spurned a string of first-half chances then found themselves behind two minutes after the break after the defence was caught cold and Gorka Pintado fired the Swans ahead.

But they laboured and pressed and ground down Swansea until they forced the equaliser and in a strong finish, they may even have snatched a win.

And injury crisis meant Boro boss Gordon Strachan had a bench that included three teenagers and four players yet to make a first-team start.

Boro showed first after four minutes when Adam Johnson burst down the left and picked out Leroy Lita in space on the right-hand side of the box – but his low effort fizzed wide.

A minute later Swansea – the least prolific side in the division on the road – carved out their first chance as Cotterill latched onto a loose ball 25 yards out and cracked in a low drive that sent Boro keeper Danny Coyne full length to collect at the foot of the near post.

Boro pressed again on eight minutes as Flood weaved across the edge of the box to feed Johnson wide on the left, but when his deep cross sailed back across the box to the over-lapping Tony McMahon, Williams had tracked his run and put in a timely tackle to prevent the Boro man collecting the ball in the box.

And Boro almost unpicked the defence again on 12 minutes as Flood cut in from the right and slotted it square for Julio Arca, and then nipped behind the last man for the return, but despite stretching he just failed to collect the pass.

Then, as the pressure mounted, Boro hit the woodwork on 14 minutes as Johnson streaked down the left before he whipped in a deceptive cross which swirled and dipped to rattle the bar before bouncing down and being hooked away.

A minute later, Boro should have had the opener as perceptive Gary O’Neil spotted a run by Lita and slotted a pass to the edge of the box which played the striker through, but with a defender hot on his heels, the striker drilled his low shot straight into the legs of advancing keeper Dorus De Vries.

And as the early barrage continued Lita again burst clear on 16 minutes to power a header just wide after a superb cross from McMahon – but the flag had already gone up.

Swansea, though, looked threatening on the break and Danny Coyne had to be quickly off his line to slide in and smother at the feet of Nathan Dyer as he chased a Pintado flick into the box, then soon after had to climb to snatch a cross before David Cotterill could connect with a header.

Boro were back on the attack on 20 minutes as Johnson cut in from the left flank to send a low 20-yard angled effort fizzing just beyond the far post.

And on 25 minutes they threatened to break through as Lita chested down a high ball under pressure just inside the Swansea half and with two defenders looking set to scoop up the loose ball, Chris Killen nipped in and squeezed between them and sprinted towards the box.

However, defender Alan Tate was snapping at his heels all the way and as the striker checked to cut inside, the Swansea man stretched out a foot to put the ball out for a throw.

At the other end the visitors won a corner and when Cotterill floated the flag-kick in, Coyne flapped at it and fumbled it into a crowded six-yard box before gathering at the second try.