The Bluebirds returned to South Wales with a point following a pulsating encounter with high flying Middlesbrough on Saturday, October 17th.
Jack Moylan and Ollie Tanner netted for City in the opening half, while Tommy Conway and Will Lankshear struck for the hosts following the break.
Gabe Osho was sent off late on, but the Bluebirds held on for a deserved point from the long journey.
Brian Barry-Murphy made two changes to the side that defeated Watford due to injury, with Perry Ng and Dylan Lawlor missing the trip to Teesside. Ronan Kpakio and Krystian Bielik replaced the two defenders in the starting XI.
With two of the league’s most dominant sides on the ball going head-to-head, it was always set to be an exciting game and that was the case from the off.
Tommy Conway saw an effort saved in the second minute, Ollie Tanner at the other end fired wide less than 60 seconds later, and then Neto Borges headed off target from a good position with only three minutes on the clock.
Jack Moylan, occupying the central role once again as he did so brilliantly against Watford, had his first opportunity at goal with seven minutes gone. Tanner found Moylan with a lovely early cross, but on this occasion the Republic of Ireland international could only divert it wide with his head.
Our hosts have been in fine form all season and showed their attacking threat. Amario Cozier-Duberry, a standout player in Bolton Wanderers’ promotion to the second tier last term, saw his effort tipped away by Nathan Trott with 18 minutes gone. Borges had his second sight of goal two minutes later, but he failed to test Trott.
BBM will have been very pleased with the way his team were playing, and they were rewarded with the first goal of the game 23 minutes in. Moylan’s impact since joining the Club from Lincoln City this summer has been immediate and he added a seventh strike in all competitions to stun the home support at the Riverside. Moylan fired a low strike in at the near post, beating Radek Vitek.
The City defence may have had two new faces in it from midweek, but they were certainly putting on an impressive showing. Kpakio and Bielik fitting in superbly alongside Gabriel Osho and Joel Bagan, with all four making valuable blocks as the home side turned the pressure on. Captain for the afternoon, Alex Robertson also made a crucial interception to stop Cozier-Duberry’s shot, while Trott pulled off a delightful one-handed stop to frustrate the same Boro attacker.
The hosts saw more of the ball in the final exchanges of the first half and a second goal of the game came, but the way of the Bluebirds. For the second game running, Ollie Tanner netted in stoppage time at the end of the opening half, breaking on the Boro down the right, before cutting inside and curling into the top corner.
Kim Hellberg’s side came out for the second half determined to get back into the game, and one of his half-time changes was involved quickly after the restart.
Will Lankshear broke in behind the City defence; under pressure from Osho though he couldn’t hit the target. Trott was on point to deny Aidan Morris two minutes later, though there was nothing Nathan or his defence could do to keep out Tommy Conway’s tap-in with nearly an hour gone, reducing their deficit to just one goal.
City's lead was wiped out on 61 minutes. The dangerous Lankshear struck from the edge of the box, curling beyond Trott and into the net.
The hosts had a winner in their sights, while City needed to settle and get back into a game being controlled by the Teessiders following the opening whistle of the half. Will Fish replaced Chris Willock to help steady the back line.
Following Lankshear’s effort, it was City who would go close next. Moylan was found in behind by Cian Ashford, but our number eight was unable to divert the ball home.
City’s hopes of taking something back to South Wales were stretched when Osho was sent off for a challenge on Lankshear with seven minutes of the match remaining. Unsurprisingly, it was very much backs-against-the-wall after this decision, with Boro trying to use their man advantage to find a winning goal.
BBM’s side though were great value for a point and got what they deserved, holding onto a 2-2 draw. For City, there is now a week’s gap before Birmingham City visit to South Wales.
FINAL SCORE: MIDDLESBROUGH 2–2 CARDIFF CITY
Middlesbrough: Vitek, Brittain, Phillips, McGree (Peart-Harris 79’), Conway, Morris, Cozier-Duberry (Arfsten 73’), Ayling (Berhalter 46’), Joseph (Lankshear 46’), Malanda, Borges (Sarmiento 89’). Subs Not Used: Brynn, Byram, Barron, Castledine.
Cardiff City: Trott, Bagan, Osho, Bielik, Moylan, Tanner (Davies 79’), Willock (Fish 63’), Robertson, J.Colwill (Turnbull 46’), Kpakio (Scanlon 73’), Ashford. Subs Not Used: Tyrer, Tankiewicz, Moreno, Perrett.