Michael Carrick was beaming as bright as the Illuminations after Middlesbrough beat Sky Bet Championship strugglers Blackpool 3-0 at Bloomfield Road.Isaiah Jones struck in the 15th minute in an authoritative first half and made their dominance pay shortly after the break via a Marcus Forss penalty.Chuba Akpom sealed the result with 25 minutes remaining as Boro climbed up to 16th in the table, le...Full Story »

Michael Carrick’s outstanding Middlesbrough dominated Blackpool to claim a 3-0 victory at Bloomfield Road and leap four places to 16th in the Sky Bet Championship table.Rejuvenated Boro went ahead following Isaiah Jones’ 15th-minute strike and never relinquished control.Carrick’s team were faster, sharper and more aggressive than Blackpool and the visitors scored the second goa...Full Story »

Michael Olise curled home a stoppage-time winner as Crystal Palace finally broke their duck on the road with a dramatic 2-1 victory at West Ham.Said Benrahma had fired West Ham into the lead with a sizzling strike before Wilfried Zaha hauled Palace level before the interval.There was VAR controversy 10 minutes from the end when Michail Antonio went down after being tugged by Marc Guehi and refer...Full Story »

Michael Carrick had mixed emotions after his first home game in charge of Middlesbrough ended in a 1-1 draw with Bristol City.Carrick was delighted with his side’s performance against Bristol City but frustrated they could not make their dominance count.Boro had 23 shots on goal and 71 per cent of possession against the Robins but were forced to fight back from a goal down after Andreas We...Full Story »

In-form Chuba Akpom was on target again to earn a 1-1 draw for Middlesbrough against Bristol City in Michael Carrick’s first game in charge at the Riverside.Ex-Arsenal man Akpom struck for the third time in as many matches under Carrick as Boro came from behind to pick up a point in a contest they dominated for long periods.Andreas Weimann had put the visitors ahead but their winless run i...Full Story »

Barnsley boss Michael Duff welcomed his team’s return to goal-scoring form as the visitors held off a late Bolton rally to win 2-1 and book an FA Cup second-round date.The Tykes, who had not scored in their previous four games, were 2-0 up in 32 minutes including Adam Phillips’ stunning first for the club.And while Jon Dadi Bodvarsson pulled a goal back late on, Wanderers could not f...Full Story »

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick could name an unchanged side for the visit of Bristol City.Boro suffered no new injury problems during the midweek win over Hull, the first of Carrick’s reign.Duncan Watmore remains a doubt after missing the last two games following a head injury sustained in the draw with Huddersfield.Matt Crooks will hope to be involved again after returning from inj...Full Story »

Michael Carrick secured a first victory as Middlesbrough manager with a 3-1 win at Hull, who are reportedly close to recruiting Liam Rosenior as new head coach.Highly-rated Rosenior, a favourite in East Yorkshire during his playing days, watched from the stands as the Tigers slipped to another home defeat.Chuba Akpom’s 30th-minute header put Boro in control before Cyrus Christie equalised ...Full Story »

Michael Carrick expressed deep pride in his players after he claimed a first win as Middlesbrough boss with a 3-1 defeat of Hull.Carrick is up and running thanks to Chuba Akpom’s 30th-minute header and second-half own goals from Tobias Figueiredo and Cyrus Christie, who had earlier equalised for the hosts.The former Manchester United midfielder said: “It’s a good moment for me,...Full Story »

Barnsley boss Michael Duff was satisfied with the 2-0 win against Forest Green Rovers but stressed that it was not an easy game, and the visitors should not be taken lightly.Devante Cole and Josh Martin scored the goals for the Tykes in a dominant display.But Duff was in no mood to get carried away. He said: “It was an okay performance. I don’t think it was brilliant. It was a good s...Full Story »

Michael Carrick never expected a honeymoon as Middlesbrough head coach but admitted he was “hurt” by a late 2-1 loss at Preston.The former Manchester United midfielder and caretaker boss looked set to claim a point from Boro’s visit to Preston before Jordan Storey headed home a sickening stoppage-time winner for the hosts.Chuba Akpom had given Carrick a perfect start, stooping ...Full Story »

Michael Carrick got an immediate insight into the cold realities of full-time football management when Jordan Storey’s stoppage-time goal earned Preston a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over his Middlesbrough side.Former Manchester United caretaker boss Carrick, who was appointed head coach on Teesside on Monday, enjoyed a promising start to his tenure when Chuba Akpom nodded Boro in front a...Full Story »

QPR boss Michael Beale said “pretty much everything went wrong” after seeing his side denied a return to the top of the Sky Bet Championship following a 2-0 defeat at Birmingham.First-half goals from Auston Trusty and Emmanuel Longelo put the hosts in the driving seat before Birmingham goalkeeper John Ruddy made sure there was no late recovery from Rangers when he saved Lyndon Dykes&...Full Story »

Michael Ihiekwe will miss out for Sheffield Wednesday ahead of their clash with Burton.The defender sits out through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bristol Rovers, and will serve a one-match ban.Owls boss Darren Moore confirmed following the Rovers game that Ben Heneghan will also miss out again after limping off against Lincoln at the weekend.Akin Famewo...Full Story »

Walsall boss Michael Flynn believes his improving Saddlers could be League Two’s team to beat in the second half of the season after they defeated Harrogate 3-1 for a third straight home win.A penalty from on-loan striker Danny Johnson – his ninth league goal of the season – plus strikes from Liam Gordon and Isaac Hutchinson moved Walsall up to 13th.Matty Daly pulled one back f...Full Story »

Leo Percovich is waiting to learn if his temporary reign as Middlesbrough manager is over after the 0-0 draw against Huddersfield, with Michael Carrick reportedly set to take charge.Percovich has presided over five matches as interim boss since Chris Wilder was dismissed almost three weeks ago, with his latest game at the helm ending in a stalemate.Carrick has been widely touted as Boro’s ...Full Story »

Walsall boss Michael Flynn branded referee Paul Howard “awful” after his 10-man side’s battling 1-1 draw at Sutton.The Saddlers were forced to play almost three-quarters of the game a man light after Brandon Comley’s 26th-minute sending off at Gander Green Lane.Comley saw red after two heavy challenges on Craig Eastmond within the space of 10 minutes — the second of...Full Story »

Michael Appleton wants his players to savour Blackpool’s rip-roaring 4-2 victory over fierce Lancashire rivals Preston.Preston travelled to Bloomfield Road boasting both the Championship’s best away record and stingiest defence.But Ryan Lowe’s team were stunned by a rush of second-half goals, with Blackpool rallying against the run of play to score three times after the break a...Full Story »

Michael Beale in the manager’s chair will be a welcome sight for QPR supporters when their side host Wigan.The Hoops boss was linked to a move to Wolves, but on Thursday announced he will remain at Loftus Road.Tyler Roberts (calf) sat out Wednesday’s win over Cardiff as a precautionary measure but should be fit for the Latics clash.Sinclair Armstrong scored a penalty on his on his fi...Full Story »

Michael Bostwick will hope to push back into Stevenage’s starting line-up for Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two clash with Northampton.Experienced centre-back Bostwick came off the bench in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Gillingham.Danny Rose should continue up front having notched the solitary goal for Steve Evans’ side.Jordan Roberts claimed the winner in Tuesday’s 1-0 EF...Full Story »