Middlesbrough FC 1 Huddersfield Town 1: No anniversary win for Neil Warnock on his Riverside return - but some relief

IT was 36 years to the day since Neil Warnock triumphed in his first game as a Football League manager with his Scarborough side beating Doncaster Rovers in a League Cup tie on August 19, 1987.
Leon Wobschall
By Leon Wobschall
Published 19th Aug 2023, 17:29 BST

On his first return to the Riverside Stadium after his departure in November 2021, the Huddersfield Town chief looked like having another milestone occasion back up the coast from Scarborough at a place he knows well.

A sixth successive league win over his former club looked on the cards after Dael Fry diverted Sorba Thomas's wicked inswinging corner into his own net on 47 minutes.

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Boro levelled in the 61st minute with their first league goal of the season and it was a beauty, with Hayden Hackney making up for missing a good first-half chance with a scorching, unstoppable drive.

Middlesbrough v Huddersfield Town. Boro's Sammy Silvera gets a shot on goal, despite the attention of Terriers captain Jonathan Hogg. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.Middlesbrough v Huddersfield Town. Boro's Sammy Silvera gets a shot on goal, despite the attention of Terriers captain Jonathan Hogg. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Middlesbrough v Huddersfield Town. Boro's Sammy Silvera gets a shot on goal, despite the attention of Terriers captain Jonathan Hogg. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

The hosts and Town remain may winless in the new Championship campaign, but there was stuff to enthuse about, all the same.

That said, the points should have been Boro's, with Sam Silvera - who missed a glorious chance while the game was still 'live' against Coventry last weekend - spurned another golden opportunity in stoppage-time, firing over with the goal gaping.

Boro handed debuts to new signings Emmanuel Latte Lath and Lukas Engel - and the former caught the eye and did not give the Town defence much peace.

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He troubled them with his pace and showed some lovely touches. Yet he missed the chance to see his name in lights in the second half when sent clear with Lee Nicholls making a big block.

Middlesbrough v Huddersfield Town. Boro captain Darragh Lenihan takes on Terriers midfielder Jack Rudoni. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.Middlesbrough v Huddersfield Town. Boro captain Darragh Lenihan takes on Terriers midfielder Jack Rudoni. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Middlesbrough v Huddersfield Town. Boro captain Darragh Lenihan takes on Terriers midfielder Jack Rudoni. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

The Ivorian still did more than enough to suggest he will be a pretty handy signing for Boro, while Town supporters got their first glimpse of their own newcomer Delano Burgzorg late on in the second period.

Nicholls made important saves to deny Hackney and Marcus Forss in the first half and underlined his importance to the West Yorkshire side, while the performance of Thomas was also a noteworthy one.

Town, who hit the post early on through Brahima Diarra, upped the ante in the second half and despite being pegged back after Boro's leveller, they went close to a winner themselves before Silvera's chance, with Jack Rudoni's lob floating just wide with Seny Dieng stranded out of his goal.

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Middlesbrough: Dieng; van den Berg, Fry, Lenihan, Engel; Howson, Hackney; Forss (Crooks 69), Rogers (McGree 69), Silvera; Latte Lath. Unused substitutes: Glover, Barlaser, I Jones, Gilbert, Coulson, Payero.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Edwards, Pearson, Helik, Ruffles; Hogg, Rudoni; Thomas, Diarra (Burgzorg 75), Koroma, Ward (Harratt 87). Unused substitutes: Maxwell, Edmonds-Green, Headley, P Jones, Hudlin, Jackson, Nakayma.

Referee: J Smith (Lincs).

Related topics:Neil WarnockScarboroughFootball LeagueLee Nicholls