McMahon error costs Boro

TCHAM N’TOYA’S first goal for Notts County dumped Premiership Middlesbrough out of the Carling Cup.

The 22-year-old capitalised on a mistake by full-back Tony McMahon to smash home a 26th-minute winner and leave the bulk of a crowd of just 11,148 less than satisfied.

The defeat made for another disappointing night for Boro boss Gareth Southgate, who fielded a strong side despite making wholesale changes.

Skipper Mark Viduka, debutant Robert Huth – who ended the game playing as a makeshift striker – and defender Stuart Parnaby all went close to an equaliser, but the home side could have little argument with the outcome.

County started confidently, but rarely looked like troubling keeper Ross Turnbull until McMahon’s 26th-minute error.

The full-back’s weak header fell perfectly for Democratic Republic of Congo striker N’Toya, who promptly blasted it past Turnbull.

County keeper Saul Deeney had to pull off a fine save to deny Viduka a 38th-minute equaliser, and the Australian also fired into the side-netting on the stroke of half-time.

Mendieta should have put Boro on level terms four minutes after the restart after a mix-up in the visitors’ defence left him with just Deeney to beat, but he skied his shot high over.

Viduka delivered an overhead kick into Deeney’s arms on 53 minutes and Southgate sent on winger James Morrison in place of McMahon.

Huth saw a 77th-minute header hacked off the line as County were forced to defend for their lives, and Hunt got in a superb challenge to deny Jason Euell.

But Parnaby squandered a glorious opportunity to square it with two minutes remaining after the visitors’ defence had failed to deal with Huth’s flick-on, the full-back hammering his shot over with just Deeney to beat.

The County ‘keeper made a save from Huth at point-blank range in injury-time to seal an unlikely win.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Turnbull, McMahon (Morrison 61) , Bates, Huth, Taylor, Parnaby, Mendieta, Cattermole (Ewell 71), Johnson, Viduka, Maccarone.

NOTTS COUNTY: Deeney, Silk, Edwards, Hunt, McCann, Ross, Somner, Curtis, Sheridan (Mendes 56), N’Toya (Needham 83), Dudfield (Gleeson 69).

Referee: M Jones (Cheshire).