2020–21 Middlesbrough F.C. season
| 2020–21 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Steve Gibson | ||
| Manager | Neil Warnock | ||
| Stadium | Riverside Stadium | ||
| EFL Championship | 10th | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | ||
| EFL Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer | Chuba Akpom (2) | ||
|
| |||
The 2020–21 season is Middlesbrough's fourth consecutive season in the Championship in their 145th year in existence, the club will also compete in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.[1]
Changes
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, football in the 2019–20 season in multiple countries was halted in order to convey safety regulations, with football returning in England on 17 June for Premier League clubs and 20 June for Championship clubs;[2][3] the decision was made for the premature conclusion of the League One and League Two seasons, with the final table would be calculated by a points-per-game method with the play-offs being played as normal..[4] As a Championship club, Middlesbrough resumed play, their first game back in action in three months being a 3–0 defeat to Swansea City.[5] With Middlesbrough already engaged in a surprising relegation battle, chairman Steve Gibson sacked club manager Jonathan Woodgate, which came as a surprise to supporters, with heavily-experienced Neil Warnock, who had been linked with the club on numerous occasions, replacing him on the same day on a contract until the end of the season.[6]
With the pandemic resulting in the delay of the season, the season's remaining matches continued past 30 June, the date which signifies the conclusion of an English football season as a whole, also including the date that sees players with expiring contracts being allowed to leave the club on a free transfer. This occurred heavily at Middlesbrough, with Rudy Gestede,[7] Daniel Ayala, Mitchell Curry, Nathan Dale, Enes Mahmutovic, Layton Watts, Stephen Wearne, Harold Essien, Harry Flatters all departing.[8] On the same day as the final game of the 2019–20 season, Adam Clayton announced his departure from the club through social media, with the club confirming this the following day.[9]
First team squad
| No. | Player name | Nationality | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Contract until | Signed from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| 1 | Tomás Mejías | 
|
GK | 30 January 1989 | 30 June 2021 |  Omonia
|
| 32 | Dejan Stojanović | 
|
GK | 19 July 1993 | 30 June 2023 |  St. Gallen
|
| Defenders | ||||||
| 2 | Anfernee Dijksteel | 
|
RB | 27 October 1996 | 30 June 2022 | Charlton Athletic |
| 4 | Grant Hall | 
|
CB | 29 October 1991 | 30 June 2023 | Queens Park Rangers |
| 6 | Dael Fry |
|
CB / RB | 30 August 1997 | 30 June 2021 | Academy |
| 15 | Nathan Wood |
|
CB | 31 May 2002 | 30 June 2020 | Academy |
| 27 | Marc Bola |
|
LB | 9 December 1997 | 30 June 2022 | Blackpool |
| 29 | Djed Spence |
|
RB / LB | 9 August 2000 | 30 June 2020 | Fulham |
| 33 | Hayden Coulson |
|
LB / LM | 17 June 1998 | 30 June 2023 | Academy |
| Midfielders | ||||||
| 3 | Marvin Johnson |
|
LW / LB | 1 December 1990 | 30 June 2020 | Oxford United |
| 7 | Marcus Tavernier |
|
LW | 22 March 1999 | 30 June 2021 | Academy |
| 8 | Lewis Wing |
|
AM / CM | 23 May 1995 | 30 June 2022 | Shildon |
| 12 | Marcus Browne |
|
AM / RW / LW | 18 December 1997 | 30 June 2023 | West Ham United |
| 16 | Jonny Howson |
|
CM | 21 May 1988 | 30 June 2020 | Norwich City |
| 17 | Paddy McNair | 
|
DM / CM | 27 April 1995 | 30 June 2022 | Sunderland |
| 22 | George Saville |
|
CM / LW | 1 June 1993 | 30 June 2022 | Millwall |
| 34 | Connor Malley |
|
CM | 20 March 2000 | 30 June 2022 | Academy |
| 37 | Ben Liddle |
|
DM | 21 September 1998 | 30 June 2020 | Academy |
| Forwards | ||||||
| 9 | Britt Assombalonga | 
|
CF | 6 December 1992 | 30 June 2021 | Nottingham Forest |
| 11 | Ashley Fletcher |
|
CF / LW | 2 October 1995 | 30 June 2021 | West Ham United |
| 36 | Stephen Walker |
|
CF | 11 October 2000 | 30 June 2023 | Academy |
| 41 | Rumarn Burrell |
|
CF | 16 December 2000 | 30 June 2022 | Grimsby Town |
Statistics
- As of 17 October 2020
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | ENG
|
Marcus Bettinelli | 6 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | NED
|
Anfernee Dijksteel | 7 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | ENG
|
Marvin Johnson | 5 | 1 | 3+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | ENG
|
Grant Hall | 4 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF |  EGY
|
Sam Morsy | 5 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG
|
Dael Fry | 6 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG
|
Marcus Tavernier | 7 | 1 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | ENG
|
Lewis Wing | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | COD
|
Britt Assombalonga | 6 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG
|
Chuba Akpom | 3 | 2 | 3+0 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | ENG
|
Ashley Fletcher | 4 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 2 |
| 12 | MF | ENG
|
Marcus Browne | 3 | 1 | 0+1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ENG
|
Nathan Wood | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | ENG
|
Jonny Howson | 7 | 1 | 5+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | NIR
|
Paddy McNair | 6 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | NIR
|
George Saville | 5 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | ENG
|
Sam Folarin | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | ENG
|
Marc Bola | 3 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG
|
Djed Spence | 5 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 32 | GK | MKD
|
Dejan Stojanović | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | ENG
|
Hayden Coulson | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
Goals record
- As of 17 October 2020
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | |
CF | Chuba Akpom | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | |
CF | Ashley Fletcher | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | 3 | |
LW | Marvin Johnson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | |
LW | Marcus Tavernier | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | |
AM | Marcus Browne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 | |
CM | Jonny Howson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||||
Disciplinary record
- As of 17 October 2020
| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||
| 1 | 5 | |
CM | Sam Morsy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 17 | |
CB | Paddy McNair | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | |
CM | George Saville | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 1 | |
GK | Marcus Bettinelli | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | |
RB | Anfernee Dijksteel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | |
RW | Marcus Tavernier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | |
CB | Nathan Wood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | |
CM | Jonny Howson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Transfers
Transfers in
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2020 | CF |  |
Cole Kiernan | Sunderland | Undisclosed | [10] |
| 31 July 2020 | CB | |
Grant Hall | Queens Park Rangers | Free | [11] |
| 11 September 2020 | CM | |
Sam Morsy | Wigan Athletic | Undisclosed | [12] |
| 18 September 2020 | CF | |
Chuba Akpom |  PAOK |
Undisclosed | [13] |
Loans in
| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Date until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September 2020 | GK | |
Marcus Bettinelli | Fulham | 30 June 2021 | [14] |
| 12 October 2020 | RW | |
Patrick Roberts | Manchester City | 30 June 2021 | [15] |
Loans out
| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Date until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September 2020 | GK | |
Tomás Mejías |  Dinamo București |
End of season | [16] |
| 2 October 2020 | CM | |
Connor Malley | Carlisle United |
1 January 2021 | [17] |
| 16 October 2020 | SS | |
Stephen Walker | Milton Keynes Dons |
End of season | [18] |
Transfers out
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2020 | CB | |
Daniel Ayala | Blackburn Rovers | Free | [19][20] |
| 1 July 2020 | CF | |
Mitchell Curry | Sunderland | Free | [21][22] |
| 1 July 2020 | CB | |
Nathan Dale | Gateshead | Free | [21][23] |
| 1 July 2020 | RB | |
Harold Essien | Free agent | Free | [21] |
| 1 July 2020 | GK | |
Harry Flatters | York City | Free | [21][24] |
| 1 July 2020 | CF |  |
Rudy Gestede | Free agent | Free | [19] |
| 1 July 2020 | RB | |
Nicholas Hood | Marske United | Free | [21][25] |
| 1 July 2020 | CB |  |
Enes Mahmutovic |  FC Lviv |
Free | [21][26] |
| 1 July 2020 | CM | |
Layton Watts | Free agent | Free | [21] |
| 1 July 2020 | AM | |
Stephen Wearne | Sunderland | Free | [21][27] |
| 14 July 2020 | CB | |
Ryan Shotton | Free agent | Free | [28] |
| 22 July 2020 | CM | |
Adam Clayton | Birmingham City | Free | [9][29] |
| 15 August 2020 | LB | |
George Friend | Birmingham City | Free | [30] |
| 9 September 2020 | CB | |
Sam Stubbs | Fleetwood Town | Undisclosed | [31] |
| 10 September 2020 | GK | |
Joe Fryer | Swindon Town | Free | [32] |
| 8 October 2020 | DM | |
Ben Liddle | Bristol Rovers | Undisclosed | [33] |
| 16 October 2020 | GK | |
Aynsley Pears | Blackburn Rovers | Undisclosed | [34] |
Pre-season friendlies
| 25 August 2020 Friendly | Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Middlesbrough | Plymouth |
| 14:00 BST | Bericht | Assombalonga  33' |
Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 0 |
| 1 September 2020 Friendly | Middlesbrough | 5–1 | Newcastle United | Hurworth-on-Tees |
| 13:00 BST | Assombalonga 9', 23' Tavernier 34'Hall 50'Walker 83' (pen.) |
Bericht | Saint-Maximin 39' |
Stadium: Rockliffe Park Attendance: 0 |
Competitions
Championship
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Reading | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 70 |
| 8 | Cardiff City | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 66 | 49 | +17 | 68 |
| 9 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 68 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 64 |
| 11 | Millwall | 46 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 47 | 52 | −5 | 62 |
| 12 | Luton Town | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 62 |
| 13 | Preston North End | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 49 | 56 | −7 | 61 |
Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[35]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[35]
Results summary
| Overall | Startseite | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
Last updated: 3 October 2020.
Source: [citation needed]
Results by matchday
Updated to match(es) played on 3 October 2020. Source: [citation needed]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Matches
The 2020/21 season fixtures were released on 21 August.[36]
| 11 September 2020 1 | Watford | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | Watford |
| 19:45 BST | Cathcart 11' Wilmot 85' |
Bericht | Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 0 Referee: Keith Stroud |
| 19 September 2020 2 | Middlesbrough | 1–1 | Bournemouth | Middlesbrough |
| 15:00 BST | Saville 30' Browne 81' |
Bericht | Solanke 38' Mepham 51'Stacey 63' |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Matt Donohue |
| 26 September 2020 3 | Queens Park Rangers | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | Shepherd's Bush |
| 15:00 BST | Osayi-Samuel 28' |
Bericht | Akpom 19' Dijksteel 85' |
Stadium: Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Dean Whitestone |
| 3 October 2020 4 | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Barnsley | Middlesbrough |
| 15:00 BST | Tavernier 9' Morsy 27'Howson 45+1' 52'Akpom 48'McNair 61'Saville 68'Bettinelli 90+1' |
Bericht | Styles 49' Woodrow 89' (pen.)Simões 90+2' |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Oliver Langford |
EFL Cup
The first round draw was made on 18 August, live on Sky Sports, by Paul Merson.[37] The draw for both the second and third round were confirmed on 6 September, live on Sky Sports by Phil Babb.[38]
| 4 September 2020 First round | Middlesbrough | 4–3 | Shrewsbury Town | Middlesbrough |
| 17:30 BST | Johnson 21' Fletcher 31', 53'Tavernier 65' |
Bericht | Hoch 13' Cummings 60'Pyke 73'Williams 81' |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Michael Salisbury |
| 15 September 2020 Second round | Middlesbrough | 0–2 | Barnsley | Middlesbrough |
| 18:00 BST | Morsy 67' Wood-Gordon 84' |
Bericht | Schmidt 22' Williams 34'Halme 81' |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Anthony Backhouse |
References
- ^ "History". Statto.
- ^ "Premier League returns on June 17". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Championship season set to restart on 20 June as coronavirus lockdown eases". 31 May 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Fisher, Ben (9 June 2020). "League One and League Two clubs vote to curtail season and hold play-offs". The Guardian.
- ^ "Middlesbrough 0–3 Swansea City". BBC Sport. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Neil Warnock replaces Jonathan Woodgate as Middlesbrough boss". BBC Sport. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Gestede Joins Ayala In Departing The Boro". mfc.co.uk. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Retained List: July Extensions And Departures". mfc.co.uk. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Boro Contracts Up For Discussion". mfc.co.uk. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Middlesbrough sign Hartlepool's Republic of Ireland Youth striker Cole Kiernan". Hartlepool Life. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Grant Hall Becomes Neil Warnock's First Signing As Boro Manager". mfc.co.uk. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Boro Sign Sam Morsy From Wigan". Middlesbrough F.C. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "Boro Sign Striker Chuba Akpom". Middlesbrough F.C. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
- ^ "Boro Bring In Marcus Bettinelli On Loan". Middlesbrough F.C. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Patrick Roberts Rejoins Boro On Loan". Middlesbrough F.C. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "Tomas Mejias Leaves On Loan". Middlesbrough F.C. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "Boro midfielder joins on loan". Carlisle United FC. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Striker Walker returns on loan". Milton Keynes Dons FC. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Howson agrees new one-year Boro contract". BBC. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Blackburn Rovers confirm signing of former Liverpool, Norwich and Middlesbrough defender". Lancs Live. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Retained List: July Extensions And Departures". Middlesbrough F.C. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Under-23 duo sign up". Sunderland A.F.C. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Dale signs". Gateshead F.C. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "York City's Ryan Whitley loaned to Scarborough Athletic; Harry Flatters arrives from Middlesbrough U18s". York Press. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ "Nick Hood - Marske United FC". Marske United F.C. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "PFC Lviv has signed the defender of the Luxembourg national team". FC Lviv. 22 August 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Stephen Wearne joins Sunderland". Sunderland A.F.C. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Neil Warnock is disappointed but not bitter over early exit of Ryan Shotton". Gazette Live. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Clayton Signs On At Blues". Birmingham City F.C. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Birmingham City make first new signing under Aitor Karanka". Birmingham Mail. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Stubbs signs for Cod Army". Fleetwood Town F.C. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Town sign ex-Middlesbrough keeper Fryer until January". Swindon Advertiser. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "The Gas complete the signing of Ben Liddle". Bristol Rovers FC. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "Rovers complete keeper capture". Blackburn Rovers FC. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "EFL Regulations Section 3 – The League; subsection 9 – Method of Determining League Positions". English Football League. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Sky Bet Championship fixtures 2020/21". Sky Sports. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Carabao Cup Round One draw confirmed". English Football League. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ "Carabao Cup: Round Two and Three draw confirmed". English Football League. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.