Middlesbrough 3 Ipswich Town 1

TWO Jeremie Aliadiere goals and one from Gary O'Neil gave Boro a deserved win over Ipswich, who scored with an injury-time penalty, writes GORDON COX.

The Boro side showed two changes from the defeat to Bristol City, with Seb Hines replacing Jonathan Grounds and Gary O'Neil coming in for Mark Yeates, while Danny Coyne kept his place in goal.

Ipswich Town made five changes with Roy Keane handing debuts to Liam Rosenior, Grant Leadbitter and Carlos Edwards, with Damien Delaney and Jamie Peters coming into the starting line-up.

Before the game there was a march around the ground by Corus steelworkers highlighting the plight of the famous Teesside works that are destined for closure unless a saviour is found soon.

It was a special moment received with a standing ovation all round the ground including, touchingly, the Ipswich fans.

The game itself started at a relatively steady pace with possession evenly matched.

Boro won a free-kick on the edge of the Ipswich box when David Wheater, captain for the first time on his home ground, was felled. Wheater himself took the free-kick, which was drilled low into a six-man wall.

That proved to be the best chance in an opening 15 minutes that gradually saw Boro dictate the pace of the game.

It came as no surprise when Boro opened the scoring with 16 minutes played.

A long ball over the top caught the Ipswich rearguard flat footed, but they recovered to deal with the problem, although Gary O'Neil felt he was fouled inside the penalty area when contesting possession.

O'Neil was halfway up off the ground and still protesting when Marvin Emnes swung over a right wing cross that perfectly picked out the midfielder out and his glancing header looped over Richard Wright.

It was a fine way to return from injury and mark his 250th career league appearance.

It is often said that at team is at their most vulnerable straight after scoring and Boro were almost undone when Ipswich attacked down the right and Leadbitter swung over a low cross that flew through the Boro penalty area just evading any contact.

The benefit of the doubt fell the way of the visitors just past the half hour mark as Damien Delaney was allowed a second chance to equalise after Jamie Peters saw his first shot blocked with at least one team-mate offside.

Fortunately for Boro, Wheater was well placed to clear Alex Bruce's effort off the line.

Gareth Southgate was forced in a change four minutes from the break after Andrew Taylor appeared to turn awkwardly and fall in some pain. After a few minutes' treatment he was taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Grounds.

Approaching half-time referee Kevin Friend issued a flurry of yellow cards, all of them merited.

Adam Johnson, one of those booked, thought Boro had edged further in front but he had run the ball out before it was turned in.

Moments later he brought a fine one-handed save from Wright with an excellent strike from the right-hand edge of the penalty area.

Half-time: Middlesbrough 1 Ipswich Town 0

Boro pressed straight from the kick-off of the second half with Emnes well tackled on the edge of the box despite howls for a free-kick from the crowd.

Ipswich had responded well to the setback of conceding and although the half-time score was just about right, the visitors had certainly seen enough ball to be considered a danger.

After a promising start to the second half from Boro, it was the visitors who grew into the match once more and it took a fine interception from Hines - who was enjoying a decent game - to block a low Jon Walters shot from the edge of the box.

The block conceded a corner, Town's eighth of the game.

Boro's fourth corner followed a few minutes later after good work down the right from Emnes, who had moments earlier just failed to pick out Leroy Lita.

The summer signing hadn't got into the game as much as he would have liked, but it didn't take his 61st-minute replacement long to make an impact.

After cleverly ducking under a cross from the right, allowing the ball to run to Johnson, Jeremie Aliadiere ran into the penalty area where he met the wideman's left wing cross with a glancing header just up from the edge of the six-yard box to put Boro two up.

The Boro fans, who had earlier teased their counterparts with, 'Norwich, Norwich give us a song', then went into full cry of, 'Keano, it's time to walk the dog, it's time to walk the dog'.

Ipswich refused to lie down and it needed a Johnson header off the line to deny Gareth McAuley and minutes later the Northern Ireland international was denied by Danny Coyne, who went full-length to his left to turn a 25-yard drive around for what would be the visitors' 10th corner.

Jeremie Aliadiere hadn't scored since December until giving Boro a cushion in this game but his second in 18 minutes was a gem.

On receiving a short pass from Emnes on the edge of the penalty area he twisted away from markers before firing low across Wright and into the goalkeeper's bottom right-hand corner.

Boro wanted more and Johnson wasn't far wide with a low drive from the edge of the penalty area.

Entering the fourth minute of stoppage time a mistake from Johnson saw him allow the ball to roll under his foot and out for a throw midway inside the Ipswich half.

The ball was quickly played into the Boro penalty area where Johnson conceded a soft penalty with a foul on Jon Walters, who drilled the ball down the middle past Coyne with just about the last kick of the game.

Middlesbrough: Coyne; McMahon, Wheater (Capt), Hines, Taylor (Grounds 41), O'Neil, Williams, Arca (Yeates 77), A Johnson, Emnes, Lita (Aliadiere 61). Unused subs: Jones (gk); Hoyte, Bennett, Franks.

Ipswich Town: Wright; Delaney (Martin 64), McAuley, Bruce (Capt), Leadbitter, Counago (Priskin 61), Peters, Colback (Quinn 61), Walters, Rosenior, Edwards. Unused subs: Lee-Barrett (gk); Stead, Smith, Trotter.

Referee: Kevin Friend

Bookings
Middlesbrough: Johnson, 44, diving; Arca, 62, foul; O'Neil, 81, dissent.

Ipswich Town: Leadbitter, 27, foul; Delaney, 36, foul; Colback, 42, foul; Bruce, 44, foul; Martin, 90+2, foul.

Attendance: 19,742

Conditions: Sunny, warm and still.

Website Boro Man of the Match: Julio Arca