Middlesbrough celebrated their 150th anniversary game in style as Will Lankshear's second-half header secured a 1-0 victory over Wolves at the Riverside Stadium. This is Boro's 150th season since the club was founded to enable the cricketers from Middlesbrough Cricket Club to play an alternative sport in the winter months, and the game with Wolves was selected as the official anniversary fixture. A sold-out crowd helped mark the occasion, six days after a host of former players returned to the Riverside for a Legacy Game, and Lankshear's header from Tommy Conway's cross ensured the home fans went home happy.
The win enabled Middlesbrough to climb above West Ham into second position in the Sky Bet Championship table, just two points behind leaders Swansea. Wolves were second best for most of the afternoon as they suffered a second league defeat since their relegation last season. Prior to the game, Boro's fans in the South Stand unfurled a huge mural paying tribute to the club's founding players, and the current generation seemed to be inspired by the celebratory mood as they made a bright start.
Lankshear curled an early free-kick over the top before forcing Jose Sa into a smart save down to his left as he fired in an angled strike from the left of the penalty area. Marshall Munetsi headed Rodrigo Gomes' cross well wide as Wolves made a rare foray into the Boro box, but with the home side asking most of the questions, Sebastian Berhalter dragged a long-range shot wide. Berhalter was involved again shortly afterwards, swinging in a cross that Adilson Malanda headed straight at Sa, but the first half ended with Boro goalkeeper Radek Vitek making his first save of the afternoon as he parried away Munetsi's 25-yard strike.
The Teessiders reasserted themselves at the start of the second period, though, and claimed a deserved lead three minutes before the hour mark. Conway did superbly to create sufficient space on the left-hand side to stand up a cross to the back post, and having peeled behind Hugo Bueno, Lankshear outjumped the Wolves full-back to powerfully head home his seventh league goal of the season. Boro almost doubled their lead 10 minutes later, but while Aidan Morris slipped a perfect slide-rule pass into the path of Berhalter, his fellow American could only direct his shot straight at Sa.
The home side came close again with two minutes left, but while substitute Kyle Joseph thumped a header against the underside of the crossbar, the ball stayed out. Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250k!
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