Parnaby strikes late as Boro win thriller

MAKESHIFT midfielder Stuart Parnaby stole the headlines as Middlesbrough edged a seven-goal thriller to dent Bolton’s hopes of Champions League qualification.

The specialist full-back got on the end of an Aiyegbeni Yakubu cross two minutes into injury time just as it looked as though Wanderers had snatched a dramatic point.

Bolton led after only three minutes through Stelios Giannakopoulos but a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink double either side of a Mark Viduka strike looked to have handed Boro all three points.

Jay-Jay Okocha gave the visitors hope on 57 minutes and when Radhi Jaidi headed home Ricardo Gardner's 81st-minute cross, there seemed likely to be only one winner.

But Parnaby's effort ended Boro's fears of relegation as Bolton were left to reflect upon a missed opportunity to climb into sixth place.

Boro boss Steve McClaren was delighted with his side's battling qualities. "It was one of those strange games you get that is a manager's nightmare, but the fans love it, TV will love it, the neutral will love it. But the managers and coaches are tearing their hair out because you have conceded too many goals, both teams.

"We are delighted. It's a great win, a big win because we kept going and showed great character after going a goal down, coming back to 3-1, and then going to 3-3.

"It shows fantastic resolve by the team, by the squad, the bench and the players who came on. We need to get to 40 points as soon as possible, we need to finish in the top half of the Premier League, but we need to get results to gather momentum and build confidence," McLaren said.

"That, for me, was the biggest message. We have got those three points, we are on 37, but there's still a lot of work to do before we think we are going to be successful this season."

A despondent Trotters boss Sam Allardyce sighed: "We had clawed our way back and were in a position to win it, but we should have made sure that while in that position, we didn't throw it away. Yes, go on and try to win the game, but make sure you do not leave the back door open and concede another one.

"Sadly, our defending in the final minute let us down yet again and for all four goals, we really gifted them rather than made Middlesbrough work really, really hard for them."

There was controversy towards the end of the game, however, when Boro's Austrian defender Emanuel Pogatetz was booked for confronting one of referee Howard Webb's assistants after being left with blood pouring from a facial wound following an aerial challenge with Kevin Davies.

Neither manager was particularly concerned about Davies' part in the incident, although McClaren admitted Pogatetz needs to control his temper.

"I don't think he was too pleased about it," he said. "It was a clash I've seen the clash, but these things happen in football. He was incensed because he was bleeding and then there was an over-reaction.

"He has a tendency to do that and it's something he's got to curb because things like that do happen in football."

Allardyce added: "It was a complete accident. Pogatetz lost his cool, that's where the problem lay.

"Kevin Davies has nothing to defend. He did absolutely nothing wrong."

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Ehiogu, Davies, Pogatetz, Parnaby, Morrison (Cattermole 62), Boateng, Rochemback (Downing 83), Queudrue, Viduka, Hasselbaink (Yakubu 73).

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Ben Haim, Jaidi, Gardner, Giannakopoulos, Speed (Faye 85), Okocha, Nolan (Nakata 72), Pedersen (Borgetti 53), Davies.

Referee: H Webb (S Yorkshire).