MBM - Middlesbrough v Stoke City

Watching Middlesbrough at home to Stoke City.  The match was on life support for 50 odd minutes until Stoke scored through a Sam Clucas deflected shot.  Boro then threw caution to the wind and equalized moments later.  Now there's some life in this contest.

Clucas with a clear dive.  His shithousery gets him a yellow card.  Stoke look a different prospect now they've scored.  On replay it does seem Howson gave him a bit of the knock.   Stoke industry is short lived and Michael O'Neill looks like someone's grand dad wandered on to the touchline during a Sunday League match.

Substitutions made and now the game has ground to a halt.  The 78 year old Steven Ward has left the proceedings and now there may be a match of football about to start up again.  Scenes of athleticism may just be on the cusp of being revealed.

Wow, was I wrong.  No game of football has come about and it has become even more scrappy and disjointed.  Great substitutions by each side has meant that what was already a match lacking in quality has devolved into a struggle more akin to the Isthmian League than the second tier of English Football.

Wing shoots from North Ormesby...and scores.  Boro on top now.  Shocking!  It is now, laughably, 2-1 for Middlesbrough.

While still an unedifying spectacle, tails are up now and Boro are looking for a third.

This football will be not be un-seeable for a long time.


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