Middlesbrough

5-2

Nuneaton Borough

Riggott 34, Yakubu 41 (pen), 58, Parnaby 50, Viduka 63

 

Murphy 70, 86 (pen)


The FA Cup
Third Round Replay
The Riverside Stadium
Tuesday 17 January 2006
Winning clubs will receive £40,000





Middlesbrough ended Nuneaton's giant-killing ambitions to ease the pain of Saturday's 7-0 Premiership drubbing at Arsenal.

But the plucky Conference North outfit refused to lie down and pulled two late goals back to emerge with their pride intact.

Steve McClaren's youthful Middlesbrough side were cruising at 5-0 before Gez Murphy - whose last-gasp penalty in the first encounter ten days earlier had earned a replay and The FA Cup Player of the Round award - struck in the 70th minute.

Murphy then notched his third of the tie with another spot-kick four minutes from the end.

After a nervous opening, acting Middlesbrough skipper Chris Riggott gave his side a 34th-minute lead before Yakubu grabbed the first of his two goals with a penalty four minutes from half-time.

Stuart Parnaby scored his first-ever Middlesbrough goal five minutes into the second period and Yakubu struck again eight minutes later.

Mark Viduka added the fifth in the 63rd minute, but Murphy then assured himself of a place in Nuneaton folklore.

The visitors' vociferous 5,000-strong following almost saw their favourites stun the home fans in only the fourth minute.

Murphy burst clear through the middle on the end of Matty Collins' flick, but keeper Brad Jones, again preferred to the transfer-listed Mark Schwarzer, effected a superb one-handed save.

It was certainly the part-timers who showed more enterprise and endeavour in the first 20 minutes, before Middlesbrough finally came to life. But keeper Darren Acton was caught off his line when Middlesbrough made the breakthrough, Riggott moving on to Matthew Bates' through ball on the edge of the area to lob home.

Middlesbrough doubled their lead after Gaizka Mendieta had been been bundled over by winger Stuart Whittaker. Yakubu, who had set up Mendieta, did the rest by coolly sending Acton the wrong way from the spot.

Middlesbrough put the game out of Nuneaton's reach with an early second-half goal, Parnaby driving home from 25 yards after the visitors failed to clear.

Yakubu hit his second when he rolled the ball home past the exposed Acton from Viduka's flick-on.

Viduka then got in on the act when he picked up a loose ball to fire home. But Murphy gave the travelling fans something to cheer when Riggott's backheader eluded Jones and the striker raced in to finish.

He then converted from the spot after being brought down by Middlesbrough substitute Ray Parlour.

Middlesbrough: Jones; Bates, Riggott, Pogatetz, Taylor; Mendieta, Parnaby (Parlour 65), Cattermole, Johnson; Viduka (Maccarone 64), Yakubu.
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Wheater, Rochemback, Parlour.

Nuneaton: Acton; Oddy, Moore, Angus, Love; Collins (Reeves 81), Noon, Fitzpatrick, Whittaker (Wilkin 77); Quailey (Frew 59), Murphy.
Subs not used: Poole, Rea.

Referee: Mike Riley.

Attendance: 26,255.