Friday 18th September 2009
Sheff Utd v Sheff Weds 19.45
Saturday 19th September 2009
Barnsley v Swansea City 15.00
Bristol City v Scunthorpe 15.00
C.Palace v Derby 15.00
Cardiff City v QPR 15.00
Doncaster v Ipswich 15.00
Middlesbrough v West Brom 15.00
Newcastle v Plymouth 15.00
Nottm Forest v Blackpool 15.00
Peterborough v Reading 15.00
Preston NE v Coventry 15.00
Watford v Leicester 15.00
LAST TIME ALBION CAME TO RIVERSIDE ... 2008/9 BORO 0 WEST BROM 1
BORO: Turnbull, Hoyte, Huth, Wheater, Taylor, Aliadiere (Adam Johnson 60), O'Neil, Shawky (Digard 60), Downing, Alves, Mido.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Riggott, Emnes, Bennett, Walker.
WEST BROM: Carson, Zuiverloon, Donk, Olsson, Robinson, Borja Valero, Morrison (Cech 76), Koren, Greening, Kim (MacDonald 4), Bednar, MacDonald (Miller 46).
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Barnett, Moore, Pele.
Att: 26,248
Middlesbrough legend Tony Mowbray staged a smash-and-grab raid on his former club as Jonas Olsson's 53rd-minute winner gave West Brom their first away win of the Barclays Premier League season.
The visitors had to withstand tremendous pressure with former Boro midfielder James Morrison booting two goal-bound efforts off the line and keeper Scott Carson saving superbly from Gary O'Neil, Afonso Alves and Mido.
Mowbray's men grabbed the points when impressive substitute Ishmael Miller booted a half-cleared Jonathan Greening corner back into the box and Olsson bundled it past keeper Ross Turnbull.
Miller had replaced another substitute, Sherjill Macdonald, at half-time and instilled more purpose in an Albion attack which until the break had relied too heavily upon Czech Roman Bednar.
The statistics had suggested Albion were up against it as they chased their first away win against a Boro team confident at home, and the afternoon started badly with a serious-looking injury to Do-Heon Kim.
The South Korean midfielder slipped unchallenged close to the halfway line and collapsed to the turf, with play being held up for five minutes as he was strapped to a stretcher and carried off.
But the visitors, despite a tentative-looking formation with five strung loosely across midfield, looked confident and the Czech striker just failed to connect with a deep cross from the right by Gianni Zuiverloon.
Albion's caution was perhaps understandable given their failure to break their away day duck while Boro were going in search of a record fifth consecutive home win stretching back to the last campaign.
Boro responded in the 14th minute when Stewart Downing found space on the left and crossed towards Mido, only for Olsson to react with a superb saving challenge in the box.
Then Brazilian Alves burst into the box in the 18th minute after playing a clever one-two with Mido and clattered a rising effort against the underside of the bar before it was hacked to safety.
Robert Koren tried a long-range effort that sailed harmlessly into Turnbull's hands before a dull game sprang into life in the 35th minute when Borja Valero dipped a shot just over the bar from long range.
Two minutes later Olsson rose highest in the Boro box to connect with a Greening corner and head goalwards only for Turnbull to superbly tip his effort against the post.
And moments later at the other end Alves found himself with a similar chance but his header was booted off the line in the first of Morrison's two goal-line clearances.
Boro pressed at the start of the second half but it was Albion who snatched the lead in the 53rd minute when the impressive Miller dipped the ball back across the box for Olsson to stab home.
Boro piled forward from the re-start, O'Neil's free-kick almost teeing up Alves at the far post, then David Wheater's powerful header from a Downing corner headed off the line by Morrison.
Boro came even closer in the 65th minute when Downing crossed from the left but Carson managed to save at point-blank range from Mido before Alves bundled the rebound wide.
And they must have begun to feel it was not going to be their day when Carson palmed away an O'Neil effort in the 75th minute before also getting down to save the follow-up from Mido.
O'Neil slammed a long-range effort over the bar and Downing somehow failed to connect when he slid in to meet Adam Johnson's cross behind the Albion defence with seven minutes left.
Wheater directed a close-range header straight at Carson and Miller should have wrapped it up for the visitors in the dying seconds when he burst clear on the counter-attack but dragged his shot inches wide.