Boro’s flight back home after their Newport FA Cup loss was reportedly postponed due to engine failure, leading to the decision to travel back by coach.
Middlesbrough have a huge game coming up this Saturday as they host Leeds United in the Championship in a 1pm kickoff which could have big repercussions on both sides’ respective promotion chases.
Tony Pulis’s charges have won three and drawn two of their last five league games, so will surely be optimistic about getting a result against a Leeds side which has stumbled since the turn of the year.
The Whites’ previous grip on the summit has slipped as January saw their form tail off somewhat before succumbing to a 3-1 loss last Saturday at the hands of fellow title chasers Norwich City, who have now taken top spot on goal difference.
However, criticisms remain of Boro’s style of play under Pulis by some sections of the fanbase, while the 2-0 defeat at Newport County in Tuesday night’s FA Cup fourth round replay certainly dampened morale.
According to the Northern Echo, the fruitless trip to Rodney Parade could have yielded yet more repercussions for Boro in terms of their preparations for the big game at the Riverside Stadium at the weekend.
The outlet claims that the Teessiders travelled to Cardiff airport for their flight back to the north-east but, after boarding the plane and briefly taxiing on the runway, the aircraft was forced to return to stand because of engine failure.
The report goes on to say that the decision was taken to re-board the team bus and return to Middlesbrough by road, meaning the team did not return until 7am with the players seemingly having to sleep on the coach.
With just over three days between the two matches, Boro will be hoping the knock-on effect of their disrupted trip to Newport will not be too great ahead of the crunch clash against Marcelo Bielsa’s charges.
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