Ipswich Town 1 Middlesbrough 1

DAVID WHEATER'S first league goal for 18 months helped Boro come from behind to extend their unbeaten run to four games, writes GORDON COX from Portman Road.

Stephen McManus, Lee Miller and Kyle Naughton all made their Middlesbrough debuts, but Scott McDonald and Julio Arca didn't travel.

The incoming trio were among four changes from the side that drew with Bristol City as Andrew Taylor started a game for the first time since the reverse fixture in the middle of September.

Tony McMahon and Leroy Lita dropped to the bench, Barry Robson was suspended while Adam Johnson was beginning a new career in a sky blue shirt.

The Ipswich side also showed four changes from that which lost at Preston last Tuesday.

Jon Walters was expected to miss the game but returned to captain the side, David Wright and the Sunderland pair of David Healy and Daryl Murphy, signed on Monday, were all in from the start as Pim Balkestein, Jaime Peters and Jon Stead dropped to the bench, Tamas Priskin having moved to QPR.

Naughton started at right-back, David Wheater alongside McManus in the centre of defence and Jonathan Grounds at left-back - the 18th different back four combination this season.

Willo Flood started on the right of midfield, Justin Hoyte and Gary O'Neil in the centre and Andrew Taylor on the left, leaving Killen and Lee Miller up front.

It took just 22 seconds for the game's first goal. Healy peeled away down the Ipswich right and hi low cross deflected off McManus, wrong-footing Danny Coyne and falling for Daryl Murphy, who got in ahead of Wheater to mark his debut by tucking in from the edge of the six-yard box. It was his first goal for three days short of two years.

Clearly rocked, Boro took a while to get going and Walters cracked a 25-yard drive that Coyne handled well.

The Boro goalkeeper took a knock a few minutes later and for a little while appeared to have pain in the lower part of his left leg and was often seen stretching and pulling.

Gradually Boro got a foothold, Miller shot ambitiously over with his back to goal and a few moments later good work saw Gary O'Neil robbed at the last minute on the edge of the Ipswich box just as he was preparing to round off a decent move.

Passing the half-hour mark, Flood, with a rare glimmer of creative hope, sent Naughton away on the overlap down the right. The compliment returned, Flood delivered a decent cross which Killen attempted to overhead kick into the net, but the contact made wasn't good enough to trouble former Hartlepool United goalkeeper Arran Lee-Barrett.

The half-time whistle brought to an end an undistinguished game which saw Boro create little and the scoreline just about right.

Half-time: Ipswich Town 1 Middlesbrough 0

Gordon Strachan resisted the temptation to make any changes during the break, other than to positionally switch Flood and Hoyte.

The visitors were certainly a more potent threat in the early exchanges and enjoyed more possession. There was more urgency about their play, Miller landed a shot on top of the net from an awkward angle and crosses from Killen and Hoyte caused problems.

Six minutes into the half Strachan did make a change as Taylor made way for Jonathan Franks.

Just when the home crowd were beginning to get a shade anxious, Ipswich broke to win a corner. Boro's clearance wasn't good enough and the ball was whipped back in but Gareth McAuley jumped in between Wheaten and McManus to head wide.

Back in the Ipswich box, head tennis was brought to an end when Killen turned well to hook a shot towards goal. The ball took a deflection to go for a corner from which Boro drew level with 61 minutes played. David Wheater rose on the edge of the six-yard box to head his first league goal since the opening game of last season.

Boro were a different side this half and almost went into the lead when Killen headed a Hoyte cross and Damien Delaney cleared off the line.

Now we had a game. Ipswich came back at Boro and Wheater did well to block a shot from the edge of the box.

The feeling now was that the game was there for Boro to go and get it and the home defenders were making mistakes.

With seven minutes remaining O'Neil whipped in a good cross from the left, Miller dived to make headed contact and for a moment, when the ball squirmed under Lee-Barrett, it looked like a breakthrough, but the goalkeeper took possession at the second attempt.

Ipswich Town: Lee-Barrett; Rosenior, McAuley, Delaney, Wright (Garvan 79), Leadbitter, Walters (Capt), Norris, Colback, Murphy (Stead 84), Healy (Counago 61). Unused subs: Murphy (gk); Edwards, Peters, Balkestein.

Middlesbrough: Coyne; Naughton, Wheater, McManus, Grounds, Hoyte, Flood, O'Neil (Capt), Taylor (Franks 51), Killen (Lita 81), Miller. Unused subs: Steele (gk); McMahon, Bennett, Walker, L Williams.

Referee: Keith Hill, Hertfordshire.

Bookings

Ipswich Town: Norris, 66, foul.

Middlesbrough: O'Neil, 62, foul.

Attendance: 21,243

Conditions: Warm in the sun, cool, in the shade, no discernable breeze.

Website Boro Man of the Match: Good debut from McManus, Grounds enjoyed a fine game while O'Neil's work-rate ensured, again, he did the work of two men. Close, but Stephen McManus edges it.