Marcus Browne endured a night to forget as Boro beat Wigan Athletic in the Championship after he left West Ham United in the summer.
How Jonathan Woodgate needed that.
Five games into his managerial career, Tony Pulis’s successor has finally tasted sweet success in the Middlesbrough dugout. After that thrilling draw with Luton, defeats to Brentford, Blackburn and Crewe in league and cup, a 1-0 win against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday night was long overdue.
While it was far from a vintage performance, Woodgate will revel in Britt Assombalonga’s brilliantly taken header, a rejigged midfield which looked far more balanced than before, and the decision to play Jonny Howson at right-back. He, after all, set up the winner with a superb cross.
But it wasn’t all positive. Making his first start in Middlesbrough red, former West Ham wonder-kid Marcus Browne endured an evening to forget at Riverside.
The 21-year-old was booked midway through the first half and, until he was removed from the action at the interval, it seemed only a matter of time before he was settling into an early bath.
Not only did Browne spend the opening 45 flying into challenges like the proverbial bull in a china shop, his use of the ball left a lot to be desired too.
There is certainly far better to come from a player who could still prove to be one of Boro’s most exciting signings in years.
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