In 2015, the two sides met at Wembley with promotion well and truly on the line in the Championship play-off final. This is the story of the day.
WEMBLEY. Just over an hour before kick-off in the play-off final, and still no sign of Middlesbrough’s players or coaching staff. Hardly an ideal start to the day.
Then, amid a hail of police sirens, a coach is escorted into the unloading bay at the side of Wembley. Leo Percovich, Boro’s first-team coach, sprints off, brandishing the team sheet that has to be submitted to EFL officials. Aitor Karanka heads into the stadium, his normally unflappable demeanour ruffled. Boro’s players wander along the tunnel, eschewing the traditional pre-match walkabout on the pitch because there is no time and instead stripping straight down to shirts and shorts to begin their warm-up.
Boro had stayed in London on the night before the game and their coach had become snarled up in the capital’s traffic. A hastily-convened police escort might have got them to stadium in time to ensure the game was not delayed, but was the chaotic pre-match preparation a factor in the 2-0 defeat that was to follow?
“It is not the first time we have done it like this, so that is not why we lost,' said Karanka, when quizzed on his side’s late arrival after the game. “We did it before Brentford and won 2-1 [in the play-off semi-final], so that is why we did it.
“Sometimes, if the players are in the changing room a lot of time [before kick-off], there is more pressure, so we prefer to go to the pitch for the warm-up. We met some traffic, but that wasn't a problem because we knew we were in London so we knew what we would face.”
THE game itself saw Boro fairly comfortably beaten, although things might have been different had the Teessiders scored in a dramatic 30-second period early on that saw both sides hit the crossbar.
First, Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson powered a left-foot volley against the bar, then just seconds later, Boro went straight down the other end of the pitch and rattled the woodwork themselves via a long-range effort from Jelle Vossen.
A Norwich side featuring future Boro skipper Jonny Howson at the heart of midfield pressed Boro high up the pitch and limited their ability to build sustained attacks.
And Norwich’s early dominance was rewarded in the 12th minute when Cameron Jerome opened the scoring. Dani Ayala was at fault for Boro, dithering in possession, and the ball broke kindly in the penalty area for Jerome, who was able to turn and fire a low shot past Boro goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos.
That was bad enough, but worse was to come for the Teessiders when Norwich, managed by future Sunderland boss Alex Neil, doubled their lead just three minutes after breaking the deadlock.
Middlesbrough supporters show their disappointment at Wembley (Image: PA)
Steven Whittaker played a great ball into the channel for Nathan Redmond, and the England Under-21 winger struck a low effort past Boro goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos.
Boro struggled to get a foothold in the game, although things improved slightly when Karanka made a half-time change, bringing off right-back Dean Whitehead for forward Emilio Nsue.
Patrick Bamford, who had recently been crowned Championship Player of the Year, was a controversial selection given he had battling with an ankle injury, and having barely touched the ball in the first half, the striker did at least test John Ruddy with a low effort after the break.
Boro's main threat came from Albert Adomah down the right-hand side, but Norwich's central defensive partnership of Sebastien Bassong and captain Russell Martin cut out a series of crosses.
It was in fact Norwich who went closest to getting a third when Redmond fired just wide from a free-kick on the edge of the box.
Bamford then had the chance to pull the ball back to Kike but Martin cleared and Norwich held on to return to the top-flight.
AFTER the game, the main talking point from a Boro perspective was Karanka’s decision to select Bamford, and play him for the full 90 minutes, even though his movement was clearly impeded because of his ankle issue.
Patrick Bamford was a controversial selection in the final (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
“If I decided to put Patrick on the pitch, it is because he was 100 per cent fit,” maintained Karanka in his post-match interview. “I was speaking with him, and I decided that he could play 90 minutes, or even 120 minutes if it was needed. He played 90 because he was ready to play, and I thought it was the best for the team.
“In a final, if you make a mistake, you will pay for it. But we achieved our place at Wembley as a team so when we win, we win as a team, and when we lose, we lose as a team.”
To be fair to the Boro boss, that team would bounce back in spectacular fashion the following season, winning automatic promotion as they finished second in the table, above Brighton on goal difference.