Millwall leapfrog Middlesbrough in Championship promotion race after Coburn double
Former Boro striker Josh Coburn returned to haunt his former club with both goals in Millwall’s 2-1 comeback win
Kim Hellberg believes his aptitude for mathematics helps him solve complex tactical problems but the Middlesbrough manager’s on field equations refused to balance here as two goals from Josh Coburn took Millwall second.
Alex Neil’s resilient team are now one point and one position above Boro in a Championship topped by Coventry.
Although fourth-placed Ipswich’s two games in hand also make them strong automatic promotion contenders, it would be unwise to bet against Millwall being part of next season’s Premier League.
Hellberg, meanwhile, has presided over a run of four games without a win at precisely the wrong time.
How he could have done with Coburn, a boyhood Boro fan and academy graduate, still leading the line at the Riverside.
Instead the 23-year-old striker, who has scored five goals in his past five games, was deemed surplus to requirements on Teesside and joined Millwall for £5m last summer.
OnIt was a day when Hellberg’s side dominated possession but failed to convert a litany of chances, an issue that doubtless prompted considerable post-match boardroom introspection.
“It’s a great win for us,” said Neil. “Middlesbrough were excellent in the first half and won every duel. But in the second half we showed much more composure on the ball and our press was better.
“We’re never going to be able to pass Middlesbrough off the pitch but we were brilliant in both boxes and Josh Coburn was excellent.
“There was a lot of emotion for Josh but in football some things are written in the stars. Josh has always had great movement and been a really good finisher but he’s added power and aggression this season. At this level he’s a top striker.”
The teamsheet had brought bad news for Boro fans and neutrals, with a calf strain once again keeping Hayden Hackney out of Hellberg’s squad. Hackney’s passing and movement is a joy to watch and without him to control the midfield tempo Boro are almost always a poorer team.
A strong start initially suggested that this might be an exception to that rule. Indeed Boro had already conjured – and missed – numerous half-chances by the time Dael Fry headed them into a 26th-minute lead.
When Millwall failed to clear a corner Alan Browne crossed to the far post and, with Tristan Crama losing concentration, Fry nodded beyond the Sunderland loanee Anthony Patterson.
That goal prefaced a period of intense Boro pressure as they repeatedly dismantled Millwall’s press and Neil’s players seemed flummoxed by Adilson Malanda stepping out of the back three and joining midfield.
Yet if there was much to like about Hellberg’s possession-heavy passing game, it tended to peter out in the penalty area. Bar the moment when only Femi Azeez’s brilliant goal line clearance came between Fry and a second goal, Patterson remained relatively well protected.
Locals started fearing a momentum-gathering Millwall might prosper on the counter and, sure enough, in the 58th minute Sol Brynn was beaten after Boro struggled to cope with a corner. Eventually the ball dropped for a sharp turning Coburn to unleash a powerful close-range volley.
Although Brynn “saved” the shot, the ball had crossed the line and the Boro old boy from just down the road in Bedale enjoyed a special moment in front of a former public including a mini-army of family and friends.
In the 86th minute Coburn celebrated again after Malanda’s tired pass was intercepted and Barry Bannan advanced. The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder is 36 now but he still knows how to pick a pass and his delivery led to Coburn sweeping a gloriously angled shot past Brynn.
“We deserved to win but football is about scoring,” said Hellberg. “The disappointment is unbelievable. This result breaks my heart.”