MIDDLESBROUGH new-boy Kris Boyd will have a scan in the next 24 hours to discover the extent of the damage he suffered to his ankle during last night's comfortable preseason friendly victory over Bray Wanderers.
Boyd, who scored his first goal for the club in Monday's draw with Athlone Town, was forced off just before the half hour mark in County Wicklow after a fully-committed challenge from Bray centreback Adam Mitchell.
Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan insists he is not concerned, given that the opening game of the Championship season is on August 7, and Boyd is hoping his boss turns out to be right.
Kris has taken a knock on the side of his ankle, we will have to wait a couple of days to see how he is, said Strachan, who convinced the Scotland international to move to the Riverside after leaving Rangers.
It was a rash challenge, but there was no malice in it. The guys were just anxious to do well. He will get a scan, that's what everyone gets these days, they should just get some cold and hot water. I'm not concerned, for me it's a knock.
Strachan, who has arranged a behind-closeddoors friendly tomorrow before next Tuesday's trip to Germany, will also step up his efforts to further strengthen his squad in the next few days.
Dundee United boss Peter Houston admitted that Middlesbrough have been in touch about Craig Conway
and that the two clubs are talking.
Strachan added: We are short on numbers. A lot of players have moved on in the last year. We are talking to quite a few clubs to see what is the best deal for us. There's nothing imminent.
But Strachan was satisfied to see that new winger Nicky Bailey showed he possesses the ability to cut inside from the left to score goals, something which Middlesbrough have lacked since Adam Johnson's departure in January.
Bailey's first goal for the club in the 27th minute, setting Middlesbrough up for a comfortable first win of preseason at the Carlisle Grounds Stadium courtesy of second half goals from Leroy Lita and Lee Miller.
I have been really pleased with Nicky so far, he is a good asset, said Strachan of his £1.4m buy from Charlton. He is good at cutting in, he had a lot of attempts at goal and we need more goals from midfield.
He will provide that, I'm sure.
Despite fears around Bray that the heavy showers hitting the west coast of Ireland might have led to a postponement, the match went ahead and Strachan included Jon Grounds and Julio Arca in his team.
Barry Robson, Andrew Taylor and David Wheater, however, were all left out, nursing the slight injury problems which prevented them from playing against Athlone on Monday.
Despite Bray's position, rooted to the bottom of the Aitricity Ireland Premier League, Middlesbrough still failed to test goalkeeper Brian Kane in the opening 27 minutes.
Brad Jones, on the other hand, was responsible for keeping the game goalless.
First he successfully held a stinging low drive from trialist Darragh Satalle and then he got down to stop a tame effort from Shane O'Neill, who had turned Grounds too cheaply on half way.
But a little magic from Kevin Thomson, picking out his team-mate with a clever pass in behind the Bray defence, allowed Bailey to charge into the box, knock the ball around Kane and chip in to an empty net.
Over the course of the two matches in Ireland, that was one of the few signs of the real quality that Middlesbrough will require to clinch promotion next season.
And while Gary O'Neil struck a free-kick from 30 yards against the crossbar, Strachan was given a reminder of last season's attacking failings before halftime.
Scott McDonald had been denied by Kane, but the Aussie striker crossed to Miller, who side-footed wide of an unguarded net from just outside the six yard area when it looked easier to score.
McDonald's low drive forced Kane in to another save shortly after half-time and the runs from Justin Hoyte down the right provided occasional rises in the game's tempo. On the whole, though, it was a typically, casual friendly, slowed down further by the high number of substitutions.
Thomson almost became the third of the summer signings on show to score on this tour, when his bursting run in to the box forced replacement goalkeeper Neil McManus into a low save.
But McManus could do nothing to stop Lita's blast high into the roof of his net 17 minutes from time and then the striker's perfect centre allowed Miller to add a third four minutes from time.
Strachan added: Some of the players need more games and the good players who I thought were good players are good players. We had chances to finish it off, but we were still a bit rusty in front of goal.
That will come.
BRAY (4-4-2): Kane (McManus 65); Webster (S O'Connor 38; Shields 85), Mitchell (Byrne 46), Prendergast (D Doyle 59), Houston (D O'Connor 59); Kelly (M O'- Connor 65), Kavanagh (Zambra 46), Dempsey (L Massey 80), Touhy (D Massey 46); O'Neill (A O'Connor 65), Satalle (R Doyle 51).
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Jones (Coyne 59); Hoyte, Grounds, McManus, Arca (Bennett 77); Flood (Williams 59), Thomson, Bailey, Flood; Boyd (Miller 29), McDonald (Lita 59). Sub (not used): Steele.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo