2nd January 1989 - Peter Davenports 1st Boro goal

[erimus74]

Came in the home fixture against the very team we paid our record transfer to, so at the 10th attempt, wearing the No10 shirt Peter Davenport scored his 1st Boro goal, after what seemed eternity

We battered Man Utd that day, Stuart Ripley was on fire, Gary Hamilton was his usual brilluant self against Bryan Robson & more unbelievable, it was to be our last home win of the season, which ended in relegation, a season we did not deserve to go down

Looking back its probably one of the worst bit of transfer business we've done, after two fantastic seasons of promotions we looked to have settled in the 1st division, now PL & a couple more wins will see us safely over the line
Again in hindsight, I think buying Davenport upset the harmony within the close knit group of players, when maybe a few older, more experienced midfield/defenders would have been more suited for our season back in the top flight to blend with our youthful players
Probably the only time I can recall Boro & another, bigger, more high profile team, going head to head for a certain player & winning the race to sign, if only that time the player chose Villa, as was always the case, they survived & we went down, not just down to Davenport but it certainly played a part in it

On another note, how fast is this year going 🤔😉

[John Trebor]

I remember he arrived with a great fanfare and was introduced on the pitch at half time when he signed.
It was widely reported that he was the final piece in the jigsaw for our team. His best days were at Forest and we played a very similar style to them.
His uselessness wasn't foreseen by anyone (although I bet Liddle reckons he was telling everyone what a waste of money he was 😉 ).

Anyway - here are the highlights. We did batter them - but don't forget it was their second match in 24 hours.
Imagine that happening now!

[erimus74]

I remember he arrived with a great fanfare and was introduced on the pitch at half time when he signed.
It was widely reported that he was the final piece in the jigsaw for our team. His best days were at Forest and we played a very similar style to them.
His uselessness wasn't foreseen by anyone (although I bet Liddle reckons he was telling everyone what a waste of money he was 😉 ).

Anyway - here are the highlights. We did batter them - but don't forget it was their second match in 24 hours.
Imagine that happening now!

Good post, remember they played Liverpool 24 hours earlier