Middlesbrough achieved their first draw in twenty-one games as they couldn’t be separated with Burnley at Turf Moor. It was also Boro’s first clean-sheet on their travels since making the trip to Nottingham Forest back in early November.
The visitors included Scottish international Stephen McManus in defence for the first time since October while Marvin Emnes led their attack and the versatile Nicky Bailey filled in at right-back.
But it was goalkeeper Jason Steele reacting well to keep out Brian Stock before Chris McCann hoisted over the crossbar. Kieran Tripper then despatched a 23-yard free-kick wide while Dean Marney tested Steele again with a header.
Burnley continued to dominate the action after the interval and Boro manager Tony Mowbray reacted with a change as he quickly introduced substitute Mustapha Carayol. He was soon fouled by Kevin Long on the edge of the area and Grant Leadbitter rolled a free-kick for former Clarets defender Andre Bikey to drill wide.
Further substitutions were made by the visitors and another of them, Ishmael Miller, miskicked from a late Carayol cross while a third, Curtis Main, spectacularly hooked onto the the top of the net from an angle before home keeper Lee Grant gratefully claimed Carayol’s late corner underneath his crossbar.
Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Lafferty, Shackell, Long, McCann, Marney, Stanislas, Stock (Vokes 70), Paterson (Treacy 70), Austin
subs (unused): Jensen, Edgar, Mills, Bartley, Richards
Middlesbrough: Steele, Bailey, McManus, Bikey, Friend, R. Williams, Leadbitter, McEachran, Halliday (Miller 73), Smallwood (Carayol 53), Emnes (Main 68)
subs (unused): Leutwiler, Haroun, Ledesma, L. Williams
Ref: Wright
Att: 12,394
Share this article
