Middlesbrough 2 Sheffield Wednesday 3: Gray back to haunt the Boro as Owls strike pairing post warning

MENTION the name of Stuart Gray to seasoned Middlesbrough supporters and you will be greeted with a haunted look.
Atdhe Nuhiu celebrates his second goal with Stevie MayAtdhe Nuhiu celebrates his second goal with Stevie May
Atdhe Nuhiu celebrates his second goal with Stevie May

The Yorkshireman scored a fateful last-minute goal for Aston Villa against Boro in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park in April, 1989 – a strike largely credited as relegating Bruce Rioch’s young Boro babes and not Villa from the top flight. Villa stayed up by a point.

The Sheffield Wednesday head coach piled on more pain for Teesside on Saturday, orchestrating a landmark win for his mightily impressive Owls side. Their performance was so emphatic that it forced counterpart Aitor Karanka to change the hosts’ system at half-time.

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Wednesday registered their first win in eight outings at the Riverside since its opening in August, 1995. It was their first in Middlesbrough since triumphing 2-0 at the old Ayresome Park on New Year’s Day 1991.

Do not be fooled by the narrowness of the scoreline, which was massively flattering on the Teessiders. As Boro legend Bernie Slaven said in a post-match radio phone-in, if the hosts had managed to rescue a late point, it would have constituted a robbery of Ronnie Biggs proportions.

Leading the way for the Owls was big Atdhe Nuhiu, who bossed the Boro back-line and produced the type of performance that will give the likes of Tomas Meijas, Kenneth Omeruo and Danny Ayala sleepless nights this week – Stevie May was not far behind.

The little-and-large pairing provided ample evidence that they can make life distinctly uncomfortable for many more Championship defences, with Nuhiu’s brace taking his seasonal tally to three and seven in his last 10 matches for Wednesday.

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As an interviewee, Nuhiu may give the impression that if he was more laid-back, he would be horizontal. But beneath the affability lies ambition in the lumberjack striker, whom Gray is clearly getting the best out of.

Nuhiu said: “Since last season around December when Stuart Gray took over, we have improved. This is just the beginning and there’s a long season to go. We have dreams and I hope the dreams come true.

“I hope it will keep going like this. My target is for the team to be in the top 10 and do better than last season.

“I am feeling confident, of course. But the manager and the team make me feel confident and very good. I am not from England and this is different and everyone needs to adapt. Not just me, but players in big teams in the Premier League.

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“I think I adapted in the last six months of last season when we had a big run. Now is my second season and I know the teams and players more than last year and the strengths and weaknesses. Last season, I didn’t really know as I wasn’t in England before.

“But I am very happy to be here and settled now.

“Stuart knows exactly what my strengths are and gives me this freedom in the game and he doesn’t want to change me.”

On his partnership with May, he added: “We communicate perfectly and he’s a different type of player to what I am and he anticipates the balls very well and I am looking forward to playing with him more. The goal he scored was fantastic.”

In the week, Boro players and coaching staff, including head coach Karanka and assistant Craig Hignett were participants in the ice-bucket challenge sweeping the nation.

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Saturday’s performance was far more excruciating for Karanka and his troops.

Boro looked anything but a side who had won eight of their last 11 matches, with Nuhiu’s second goal on 57 minutes making it 3-0 and being the cue for some home punters to head for the exit doors.

Despite, Grant Leadbitter’s penalty double – he almost got on the end of a cross to snatch an unlikely and undeserved leveller in the dying embers – Karanka labelled it the worst display since he arrived last November.

Wednesday’s fine afternoon began on six minutes when Nuhiu latched onto Tom Lees’s flick following Jaques Maghoma’s corner to bundle in the opener.

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Meijas did redeem himself a little to turn May’s shot onto a post before the Scot latched onto Nuhiu’s flick to coolly chip his first goal in English football three minutes before the break.

The two-goal advantage was deserved and it became three when Nuhiu adeptly headed in Maghoma’s inviting set-piece.

Leadbitter pulled one back from the spot after Glenn Loovens was penalised for fouling Kike on 72 minutes before Giles Coke was denied by a post as Wednesday sniffed a fourth.

Leadbitter added another penalty after Loovens was penalised for handling in the second minute of stoppage time to cause the first palpitations on the day for Owls fans, but it was their day.

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Taking no succour from his two goals, Boro captain Leadbitter rued: “We were very poor, let’s not get away from that. We have got to be men and be counted out there – and we weren’t today.

“I don’t take any consolation from my goals when you get beat in a football match. We weren’t at the races.”