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Middlesbrough 0 Crystal Palace 0: Bare bones Boro hang on for creditable draw as Palace are denied
Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray admitted his thread-bare squad were relieved to escape with a point after a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at the Riverside today.
Palace had the best of the chances against a make-shift Boro side, who were without key men Barry Robson and Scott McDonald through injury and saw midfielder Faris Haroun limp off after just seven minutes.
“We are down to the bare bones,” said Mowbray after his side recorded a third successive draw. “I think we are just glad to get a point.
“It has been a difficult week for us. We only had four in training on Thursday and that makes it difficult to get a strong team out.
“We had a few players out there that perhaps in normal circumstances wouldn’t have played but that’s football and you have to get on with it.
“But that said, we did well. I’m proud of them. We kept digging in, we stayed in the game and we got a clean sheet.
“I understand the frustration of the supporters because we didn’t create much, but Palace are a good side and if we had attacked them today they would have picked us off.”
Both sides struggled to impose themselves on the game, but Boro went close after three minutes as a Tony McMahon corner was fumbled by goalkeeper Julian Speroni for Lukas Jutkiewicz to get in a header that was just deflected over the bar.
Boro’s French midfielder Malaury Martin then played a one-two with Marvin Emnes before drilling a shot straight at Peroni.
Palace went close a minute before the break as a Boro attack broke down and they launched a quick counter that sent Chris Martin to the edge of the area where he forced a fine save from Jason Steele with a low shot
The visitors almost went ahead in the 54th minute as Mile Jedinak set up Wilfried Zaha for a shot that Steele dived to parry.
They went close again when Chris Martin burst through and sent in a stinging shot that Steele did well to block, but Boro almost snatched it late on as teenage substitute Curtis Main flicked inside for Jutkiewicz to chest down then drill in a 15-yard shot that was well saved.
Palace boss Dougie Freedman agreed his side had the edge and should have won but was keen to take the positives from the performance.
“I can understand why people think we should have got the three points,” he said.
“We outplayed them at times and acquitted ourselves well.
“Performance wise, we played well, although you live or die by your results in this game..”
Middlesbrough: Steele, McMahon (Smallwood 84), Bates, Hines, Hoyte, Haroun (Martin 8),Thomson, R Williams, Bennett, Emnes (Main 50), Jutkiewicz. Unused substitutes: Ripley, McManus.
Crystal Palace: Speroni, Clyne, Gardner, McCarthy, Parr, Zaha, Jedinak, Dikgacoi, Ambrose (Scannell 81), Martin, Easter. Unused substitutes: Price, Garvan, Murray, McShane.
Referee: M Heywood (Cheshire). Man of the match: Jason Steele
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