Source: Northern_Echo
Middlesbrough 1 Reading 1
Middlesbrough 1 Reading 1[LNB] IT might be one of the most luxurious hotels in the country, but Middlesbrough striker Chris Killen cannot wait to see the back of Rockliffe Hall.[LNB] The New Zealand international moved into the newlycompleted development when he joined Boro on loan from Celtic in January, and with his long-term future unlikely to be determined until the end of the season, he will continue to eschew a more permanent base for the rest of the campaign.[LNB] He will spend the first half of the summer at the World Cup finals, but is keen to embark on some house-hunting when he returns from South Africa in early July.[LNB] And after doubling his Middlesbrough tally in Saturday's low-key 1-1 draw with Reading, the 28-year-old is hoping he will be contacting estate agents in the Teesside area rather than sifting through property guides in Glasgow.[LNB] I'm only on loan until the end of the season, but I'd definitely be interested in staying,[LNB] said Killen, who made just four Scottish Premier League starts during almost two-and-a-half years at Parkhead.[LNB] I've really enjoyed working with the coaching staff here, and there are a good bunch of players. I'm really settled here. I've enjoyed the short time I've been here and I'd be delighted to stay.[LNB] There haven't been any talks as yet, but I think the manager and coaching staff want to see where we're going to be before they start making a decision on players. Once the season has finished, they'll start to think about what players are going in and out.[LNB] For Championship teams involved in the play-offs, the season does not end until May 22, but after Saturday's result made it three draws in the space of a week, it now looks all but certain that Middlesbrough's players will be hanging up their boots after they have taken on Leicester City on May 2.[LNB] David Wheater's secondhalf own goal cancelled out Killen's clinical headed strike, and ensured Boro would slip eight points adrift of the playoff places with just eight games to play after Cardiff beat Watford 3-1 yesterday.[LNB] With four of the sides in the top half of the table boasting a game in hand on the Teessiders, they will almost certainly have to win six of their final eight matches to secure a play-off spot. Given that they have only won six of their last 20, that would seem an exceptionally tall order.[LNB] It's getting tougher and tougher to make the play-offs, but it's still mathematically possible so we have to keep going, said Killen. The Preston game (tomorrow) is massive now because we don't want the season to crawl away from us.[LNB] I want to be going into the last day of the season with us still in the hunt for something.[LNB] Tuesday is a big one for us and if we get three points there, we can look to kick on in the rest of the season.[LNB] Killen's optimism is admirable, but assuming Boro fail to make the play-offs, as seems likely, boss Gordon Strachan will have some difficult decisions to make in the summer.[LNB] Killen and Stephen Mc- Manus are due to return to Celtic, and it is likely that Strachan will attempt to set up permanent deals for both players.[LNB] However, others are certain to leave the Riverside, with Jeremie Aliadiere already having been told he will not be offered a new contract.[LNB] The likes of Leroy Lita, Marvin Emnes, Justin Hoyte and Andrew Taylor have failed to hold down a regular starting spot under Strachan, while the out-of-contract Emanuel Pogatetz and the highly-rated Gary O'Neil could both be the subject of interest from elsewhere.[LNB] Another period of upheaval beckons, with Saturday's game having underlined just how much rebuilding work still needs to be completed if Boro are to emerge as serious promotion contenders next term.[LNB] They impressed in patches against a Reading side who have now claimed 13 points out of their last available 15 in the league, and would have expected to have gone on to claim victory after Killen headed home Hoyte's rightwing cross within the opening 75 seconds of the second half.[LNB] But while Barry Robson continued to impress from a right-midfield berth, Boro proved unable to exert their authority on the game, and Reading had emerged as the dominant force by the time they levelled in the 63rd minute.[LNB] The impressively energetic Jimmy Kebe surged past Emanuel Pogatetz to reach the goalline, and Wheater could only turn the winger's driven low cross into his own net.[LNB] Brad Jones was helpless on that occasion, but the recalled Australian proved a pivotal performer either side of the goal, clawing away Shane Long's first-half header and keeping out Gylfi Sigurdsson's stoppage-time strike.[LNB] It's frustrating because we put in an incredible amount of work all over the field, said Killen. We haven't been beaten again, but because we got ourselves into the lead, it still feels like a loss.[LNB] Match fascts Goals: 1-0: Killen (47mins, held off his marker to head home Hoyte's rightwing cross)[LNB] 1-1: Wheater OG (63, turned Kebe's driven cross into his own goal from inside the six-yard box)[LNB] Bookings:[LNB] Arca (21mins, foul), Robson (56, foul), Grounds (90, foul)[LNB] Referee: Andy Hall (Birmingham) - Let quite a lot go, but always remained in control of proceedings 6[LNB] Attendance: 17,082[LNB] Entertainment: [LNB] MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2):[LNB] 8 JONES: Made excellent saves from Long and Sigurdsson to justify his surprise recall[LNB] 6 Hoyte: Solid in defence and delivered the cross that resulted in Killen's goal[LNB] 6 Wheater: An unfortunate own goal was a blot on an otherwise accomplished display[LNB] 6 Grounds: Kept Long quiet for the vast majority of the game as he replaced the injured McManus[LNB] 5 Pogatetz: Struggled against the lively Kebe and was outpaced in the build-up to Reading's goal[LNB] 7 Robson: The liveliest of Boro's midfielders yet again and came close with some long-range strikes[LNB] 6 O'Neil: Worked away diligently at the heart of midfield but couldn't find a killer through ball[LNB] 5 Arca: The effort was there but wasn't as influential as he had been against Newcastle[LNB] 4 Franks: Doesn't look particularly comfortable on the left of a four-man midfield 6Killen: Doubled his Boro account with an excellent header and was an aerial threat throughout[LNB] 5 McDonald: Plenty of hustle and bustle but very little in the way of an end product[LNB] Subs: Naughton (for Hoyte, 66mins): Slotted in effectively for the final 25 minutes of the game 5 Lita (for McDonald, 74mins) Emnes (for Franks, 87mins) (not used): Coyne (gk), Taylor, Riggott, Miller.[LNB] READING (4-5-1):[LNB] Federici 6; Griffin 7, Mills 6, Ingimarsson 6 (Khizanishvili 90), Bertrand 6; KEBE 8, Tabb 6, Sigurdsson 7, Howard 5, McAnuff 6; Long 5.[LNB] Subs (not used): Harper (gk), Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Robson-Kanu, Church, Rasiak.[LNB] MAN OF THE MATCH[LNB] JIMMY Kebe the Reading right winger's direct running made him the most dynamic presence on the pitch.[LNB]
