FOR THE second time in four days Middlesbrough had to make do with a draw in London. But, although the result kept them in the bottom three, they may be happier than West Ham United, for whom two points dropped at home may yet prove costly in the fight against relegation.
Both sides came into this game with colour restored to their cheeks by a string of healthy league results: West Ham taking eight points from their last 12, Middlesbrough 13 from 15.
West Ham were without the suspended Julian Dicks, missing a game for the first time this season, but the midfielder Steve Lomas, recently signed for £1.6 million from Manchester City, and the central defender Richard Hall, who joined 10 months ago for £1.9 million from Southampton but had not previously played after picking up a pre season foot injury, made their debuts.
Fabrizio Ravanelli was in the Boro side despite claiming after Sunday's League Cup final that he was too tired to play in this game.
Ravanelli did not seem the worse for wear last night. The first half produced only three chances and he was at the centre of two of them. A glorious 20 yard pass released Alan Moore, whose path to goal was barred by Ludek Miklosko's brave block, and later the goalkeeper pulled off a flying save to deny Ravanelli's 30 yard shot. The other chance fell to Juninho, who for once escaped his marker Steve Potts but saw a promising shot deflect wide off a defender.
West Ham had looked lively without creating any real threat. It took Potts, for once escaping Juninho, to test Mark Schwarzer for the first time when, on 55 minutes, he ended a surging run with a 25 yard shot grabbed at the second attempt by the goalkeeper.
The home side brought on the mercurial Hugo Porfirio soon after the interval to try to inject some stealth into their attack, but it was Middlesbrough who nearly scored thanks to a bit of luck. Emerson's 16 yard shot hit Marc Rieper and the wrong footed Miklosko had to scramble to divert the ball round the post.
