MIDDLESBROUGH came storming from behind to claim a vital 3-1 victory at Doncaster to get their Championship promotion bandwagon rolling again.
After successive away defeats at Nottingham Forest and Southampton that saw them lose ground at the top, Boro stopped the rot with an impressive show in South Yorkshire.
They went behind early on to a Billy Sharp strike on an emotional night for the heartbroken Doncaster striker, but two goals before the break put the Teessiders in control.
In a dominant second half, they could have had several more before Barry Robson sealed an emphatic victory from the spot.
Before the game there was a minute’s applause in memory of Sharp’s newborn son who died on Friday aged two days old.
The home side gave a debut to controversial former Sunderland forward El-Hadji Diouf, signed on a short term loan, and he was loudly booed with every touch early on by the travelling 2,273 Boro fans.
Doncaster took the lead on 14 minutes through Sharp. A loose header from Emnes in no-mans’ land was quickly pushed forward by Hayter and flicked up into the box by Diouf. It dropped nicely for Sharp in the right-hand corner of the box to sent an angled volley dipping over keeper Jason Steele into the far top corner.
Boro were forced to reorganise on 21 minutes as Justin Hoyte limped off injured after going in to a crunching tackle with Faris Haroun coming on.
Boro’s first real chance came on 25 minutes as Haroun slotted a ball out wide to send Tony McMahon down the right and when he crossed in, Rhys Williams thumped a header just wide.
Boro were back in it on 29 minutes as Scottish midfielder Barry Robson lashed home a leveller.
Naylor fouled Scott McDonald in the build-up – then, as the ball squirted free, the referee waved play on. Robson scooped up the loose ball and carried it into the box and with the defence backing off he rifled a low, angled shot home from 15 yards.
Boro threatened again on 38 minutes as McDonald got to the byeline and cut back for McMahon to curl a cross into the box but keeper Neil Sullivan was quickly out to collect off Williams’ head.
The Teessiders took the lead in first-half stoppage time as Dutch goal-getter Marvin Emnes poked home his seventh league goal this term.
Rhys Williams sent Haroun steaming to the byeline on the right and when the Belgian drilled in a low ball to the near post, Emnes stretched to angle it goalwards and although the keeper got a hand to it, the ball went spinning inside the post. As Boro piled on the pressure they almost had a third on 55 minutes as Haroun weaved to the byline on the right and cut back for Scott McDonald but his 10-yard piledriver came back off Ilunga. When the rebound was flicked back into the box by Robson, it fell for Haroun at the far post but his angled shot from close range flew across the face of goal.
The relentless pressure told off as Boro scored a third from the penalty spot on 64 minutes.
An Emnes shot was blocked, then McMahon’s follow -up was blocked in a chaotic scramble before the full-back was brought down by Pascal Chimbonda as he went for the rebound.
Robson stepped up to slam home the spot kick.
DONCASTER: Sullivan; Chimbonda, Ilunga, Martis, Friend; Naylor, Mason (Coppinger 59); Gillett, Diouf (Barnes 73),Hayter (K Bennett 59); Sharp (c). Subs (not used): Maxted, O’Connor.
Booked: Naylor, Friend, Chimbonda.
Goal: Sharp 14.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Steele; Tony Mcmahon, McManus, Bates (c); Hoyte (Haroun 21), Williams, Bailey (Arca 71), J Bennett; Emnes (Zemmama, 84); McDonald. Subs (not used): Kink, Ogbeche.
Booked: McManus, Bailey.
Goals: Robson 30, Emnes 45, Robson 66 pen.
Referee: Darren Deadman (Cambs) Attendance: 9792
