Leo Percovich recalls giving Hayden Hackney his Middlesbrough league debut
Leo Percovich caretaker manager of Middlesbrough shakes hands with Hayden Hackney
Leo Percovich caretaker manager of Middlesbrough shakes hands with Hayden Hackney(Image: Mark Cosgrove/News Images)
Leo Percovich has recalled the moment he gave Hayden Hackney his first league start, kick-starting the Teessider’s incredible rise to the Premier League.
Percovich was placed in interim charge of Boro in October 2022 following the sacking of Chris Wilder. Drafting Hackney into the team for his first game in charge was his major decision.
It followed conversations with academy boss Craig Liddle, who'd backed the young midfielder as ready to make the step-up.
Percovich recalled: “I remember it was on the Monday, and they told me, ‘On Wednesday, you have to coach, you are the manager of the team’.
“I went down to the academy and I called Hayden Hackney and said, ‘Hayden, pick up your stuff and come with me because on Wednesday, it is going to be you and ten other players. Are you ready? This is your time’.
“I then went and spoke with Jonny Howson, Dael Fry and Matt Crooks and said, ‘Right, Hayden is going to be playing. We need to arm this guy, to protect him in the game. If we can do that, he is ready’.
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“I told Hayden, ‘You are my starter, but then we play on Saturday against Millwall and you will not be starting because, emotionally, you can’t cover two games’.
“It was amazing. He had the right mentality. He has physical fitness and his technique is outstanding. Don’t forget, when he first went into the team, Riley McGree was playing in the national team with Australia.
“Riley was a starter, a great guy and a great player too, but I remember taking him to one side and saying, ‘Sorry Riley, but I have to get Hayden into the team’. I knew what I needed for that night – an injection of pace and passing – and he showed it straight away.”
Of another early highlight, he continued: “I remember another really good time was at Wigan, when he scored his first goal. A tremendous goal.
“We scored four. I remember that night was so special. It was a Tuesday night, cold, Wigan were in a play-off position. We started losing 1-0, but we turned it around and won 4-1.
“I remember when I looked up at the crowd afterwards, Steve Gibson was there with his wife and Neil Bausor. They were up there in the stand on a Tuesday night, cold in Wigan.
“They wanted to support me. That meant so much to me, it was the best support any manager could ever receive.”
Percovich declared his interest in taking the role at the time. But after five games, Michael Carrick arrived and took the reins, with Percovich initially taking a new role before departing to return to Uruguay.
But reflecting on his short spell leading the club as he returned for the Legacy Game, he said: “It was amazing [caretaker boss].
“We were in a very difficult situation. It’s 15 years since I first came to the club now, and that time was definitely the most difficult. It was the first time we were in a relegation position, but the guys supported me straight away.
“We won, we climbed up the table and we escaped from the relegation places. And we gave the club time to bring in the great manager that was Michael Carrick.
“We worked together. That was the biggest thing, we were all together, aligned with each other.”
Will Lankshear left Tottenham Hotspur this summer for Middlesbrough and has been a revelation in the Championship with goals galore
Will Lankshear left Tottenham Hotspur this summer for Middlesbrough and has been a revelation in the Championship with goals galore
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