Boro facing UEFA keeper crisis

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren is facing a goalkeeping crisis for Thursday’s UEFA Cup clash with Sporting Lisbon after seeing his side outplayed by David O’Leary’s side at Villa Park.

Boro keeper Carlo Nash picked up a groin injury during Villa’s 2-0 win which came courtesy of goals from Martin Laursen and Luke Moore.

McClaren is already without Mark Schwarzer, Bradley Jones and Ross Turnbull and his only option at present is 18-year-old youth teamer David Knight.

McClaren admitted: “Carlo is very doubtful for Thursday and as things stand at present we haven’t got a goalkeeper for Thursday.

“We will access Carlo on Monday but it’s not looking good. As Jose Mourinho once said, we may be best off parking a bus in front of our goal. Maybe we will try that one!”

McClaren had no excuses to offer after his side suffered a backlash from a Villa side demolished the previous week by Everton.

He said: “It was one of the those performances you get every now and then. You can’t explain it but it happens and I’m very disappointed.

“We have got to show more than that. There are no excuses. Villa showed more passion and urgency in the second half and deserved their win.

“We were disappointed to concede two goals from set pieces but we also did not create enough chances and did not show enough urgency. It was a bad day at the office.

“But we have got two big games with Sporting Lisbon coming up and we have got to forget about this one very quickly.

“We are in sixth place in the Premiership and in the last 16 in Europe but we need to perform better than this if we are going to progress and get to where we want to be.”

Aston Villa manager David O’Leary is hoping that Moore will now kickstart his career after scoring his first senior goal for the club.

Moore, 19, has been pressed into action because of injuries to Darius Vassell, Carlton Cole and Juan Pablo Angel and his confidence has dipped in recent weeks.

O’Leary relegated him to the substitutes’ bench but he came on to convert a cross from Nolberto Solano and put Villa back into the top half of the Premiership.

O’Leary said: “I couldn’t play Luke up front because he has been looking tired and lacking in confidence.

“I couldn’t expose him from the start after last week against Everton when his head was down a bit. But I’m happy that he’s got that first goal and I hope it does him good. He has a long way to go but he is keen to learn.”

O’Leary praised his side for the way they responded after the defeat by Everton which he described as their worst performance in his two years a the club.

O’Leary said: “It has been a testing week for the players. A few of them are very young but you have got to play them because there is no one else to play.

“Things had to be said after last week. We couldn’t shy away from that and we’ve been trying to pick people up as best as we can.

“We need all our players to be performing. Last week 10 out of the 11 were off colour and it was important that we bounced back like we did today.”

Laursen broke the deadlock midway through the second half with his first goal for the club in what was his first start for seven months after being sidelined with knee ligament damage.

The Danish international made no mistake at the far post after Moore had flicked on a corner from Solano.

Then it was Moore who made sure of the points from close range after Nash had been unable to hold an in swinging free kick from Solano.

Boro substitute Danny Graham had his side’s best chance in between Villa’s two goals but he stabbed his shot wide after playing a one-two with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink.