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Championship leaders Middlesbrough beat West Brom to go four points clear Strelec poked Boro ahead with first goal for club Sub Sene fired hosts 2-0 up in second half Heggebo headed in late consolation for Baggies Nine fixtures on Saturday Kate Holloway Middlesbrough 1-0 West Brom In case you were wondering just how isolated David Strelec has been before that goal. .. Middlesbrough 1-0 West Brom Neil Maddison Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Tees That's what he's all about! It's a good throw and a great flick-on, a tidy finish from the Slovakian. David Strelec David Strelec hasn't had much to do so far, but he's there when it counts. A long throw into the box is knocked into Strelec's path by captain Luke Ayling and the Slovakian is free to direct it into the net for his first Boro goal. Baggies boss Ryan Mason isn't pleased. Not only because he's just watched his side concede but they didn't do all that much to prevent it either. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Steve Hermon West Brom commentator on BBC Radio WM Baggies have got to be careful, you can't give the ball away like that. There's too much sloppy play at the back. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Boro's Tommy Conway launches an attack on the left flank and lets it rip on a tight angle. It proves too tight though, with Baggies stopper Josh Griffiths covering the near post, and it comes to nothing, prompting a kick of frustration from the Boro forward. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Baggies midfielder Isaac Price has earned a lot of love from his supporters this season so far and he's getting stuck into this one as he wins his side a free-kick. Jed Wallace delivers but it's just knocked out of play. Baggies have looked the sharpest when it comes to going forward. Can they capitalise? Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Jed Wallace makes a burst past the Middlesbrough backline and is picked out with a long ball. It causes Boro keeper Sol Brynn to scramble but it's the stopper who claims it. Not that it matters much, the offside flag is deservedly raised against the Albion man. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Neil Maddison Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Tees My first initial thought was that it wasn't a penalty. Boos followed from the fans there for the referee. No chance, he gets a foot to it. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom The crowd are up in the air when Nat Phillips challenges Tommy Conway in the box and the forward takes a tumble. It's a necessary tackle, with no one but the keeper in front of a hungry Conway and it's timed perfectly despite the protests of the crowd. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Boro's first chance goes to teenager Sverre Nypan. The ball catches a little deflection off a Baggies player in the final third, Nypan is quick to respond though and dribbles it into a shooting position. He hits it with his left foot from the edge of the area but the Manchester City loanee drags it wide. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Tony Brown West Brom's all-time record scorer on BBC Radio WM It's a good start from Baggies from the set piece. Albion look quite confident in those positions. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom Albion find summer signing Nat Phillips in the box, who strikes straight at goal but despite there being a fair amount of force on the ball, Boro escape any early damage. Baggies looking dangerous already and we are only a minute in. Middlesbrough 0-0 West Brom The floodlights illuminate the Riverside Stadium but will this game be electric? It's time to begin. Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) Ousmane Diakite replaces Mikey Johnston as West Bromwich Albion's sole change after their loss to Derby County last time out. Johnston joins defender Krystian Bielik, who returned to training this week, on the bench. Boss Ryan Mason had said Josh Maja was "fit enough" for a start earlier in the week but has decided against giving the 26-year-old a place in the XI as he eases him back from a long-term calf injury. Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) This video can not be played Albion head coach Ryan Mason speaks about Josh Maja ahead of their trip to Middlesbrough. West Bromwich Albion have only lost one of their opening five matches (W3 D1) but that loss was their latest outing against a tricky Derby County side. They will now hope not to lose their grip on a fantastic start to the season by beginning a losing streak but also face the troublesome challenge of visiting the league leaders. Boro's outstanding unbeaten start indicates that this game will be anything but easy for the visiting Baggies but boss Ryan Mason is relishing the opportunity. Before the international break, his side defeated a different leading team in then-top spot occupants Stoke City and Mason has got every faith they can rise to the occasion again. "We don't fear anyone, " Mason told BBC Radio WM. "When you go to teams and they are in a really good moment, it's a big challenge and we've got to be excited by that. " Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) Beating a team who have remained undefeated so far this season is a task in itself but West Bromwich Albion will also have to shed their recent history at the Riverside too. Here's our pick of the stats: Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) Boro makes a triple change to the side that drew with Preston last weekend. Defender Darragh Lenihan, who played his first 90 minutes of the season after returning from an ankle issue, is missing from the squad. George Edmundson replaces the Irishman to complete the backline. Morgan Whittaker and Kaly Sene are rotated to the bench to see summer signings David Strelec and Sverre Nypan step up to the starting XI. Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) This video can not be played The Middlesbrough Head Coach spoke to Rob Law ahead of the game against West Brom. Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards recently told BBC Radio Tees that he had "no complaints" when it came to how his side have performed so far this season and why should he? Boro are yet to be defeated and top the table, accumulating 13 points out of a possible 15. But while last week's trip to Deepdale saw them drop points for the first time this season - only salvaging a 2-2 draw thanks to Sontje Hansen's 92nd minute equaliser - Edwards insists it hasn't changed the mood of the dressing room. "There has been a really good vibe around the place, " Edwards told BBC Radio Tees. "The lads are in good spirits and long may that continue. "It will be a really difficult game. Ryan Mason has done a really good job quickly and West Brom are always strong in this league from my experience of many years of being in and around this sort of level, as a player or managing. "I think it will be an exciting game as well. It will be two good teams that are playing with confidence so we are really looking forward to it. " Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) Technically, West Bromwich Albion have the opportunity to top the table tonight. The West Midlands side are just three points shy of Middlesbrough at the apex but would require a huge, decisive victory to snatch the top spot from them. It's most likely that even a loss would see Boro unmoved. But only a win will let the Teesside club sleep soundly for the remainder of the weekend knowing none of their competitors can snatch away the lead. Middlesbrough v West Brom (20: 00 BST) Ready to start the weekend off with two of the Championship's pacesetters? League leaders Middlesbrough have been flying under new boss Rob Edwards but tonight holds perhaps their biggest test of the season. West Bromwich Albion have suffered just one loss under new boss Ryan Mason across their opening five games to put them inside the play-off spots. It's early days, of course, but both these teams could make a statement to the rest of the league with a win at the Riverside. Stay tuned for some build-up, kick-off is in 20 minutes. .. David Strelec joined Middlesbrough on deadline day from Slovan Bratislava Early Championship pacesetters Middlesbrough extended their lead at the top of the table as they defeated West Bromwich Albion to record their best ever start to a league season. The victory made it 16 points out of a possible 18 as Rob Edwards' side recorded a fifth win in six games to move four points ahead of Stoke City. A first Boro goal in each half from summer arrivals David Strelec and substitute Kaly Sene proved too much for Albion and maintained the feelgood factor that head coach Edwards has generated in his first few weeks on Teesside. Norway striker Aune Heggebo pulled one back late on for the Baggies with a header, but they slipped to a second successive defeat after starting the campaign unbeaten. Although they remain fifth, Ryan Mason's team are likely to drop below that with the rest of the weekend's fixtures to come and a congested early-season table. Strelec's arrival from Slovan Bratislava created plenty of excitement, which only increased following his goal in Slovakia's win over Germany in a World Cup qualifier. He had only been a substitute in last Saturday's draw at Preston North End, but the 24-year-old was in from the start here and required just 26 minutes to impress his new fanbase. Luke Ayling flicked on Matt Targett's long throw and the striker got the wrong side of his marker to beat Josh Griffiths from six yards. Nat Phillips had forced a save out of Boro goalkeeper Sol Brynn inside the opening 60 seconds, but it was not until the second half that the Baggies grew as an attacking force. Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price should have equalised when he arrived to meet Jed Wallace's inviting cross, but he put his header wide. Brynn was forced into a smart save from an effort by Ousmane Diakite but shortly after, Boro made sure of the three points. Fine football involving Tommy Conway and Hayden Hackney teed up the chance for Sene, who had come on at the interval for Strelec, and the forward drilled his shot in off the post for his first goal for Boro but seventh of the season after scoring six in eight games for Swiss side Lausanne before his move to England. Boro's success maintained their 100% home record with three wins from three but they conceded their first goal at the Riverside when Heggebo headed past Brynn in the 90th minute for his first league goal. That created a nervous five minutes of injury time, but the result will cement Boro's growing belief they can remain in the thick of the promotion race as the campaign progresses. Middlesbrough will remain top of the table after this weekend's fixtures are completed Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards told BBC Radio Tees: "It was a really good night for us in the end. "It was a very tough game as you knew it was going to be. They're a very good team, Ryan's doing a very good job and they have good players, but we showed a lot of resilience tonight and that really pleased me. "We had to show another side to ourselves. We've got lads still getting up to speed with English football and what we're doing and hopefully we're going to continue to improve as it goes on. "We've not found our level yet and that is the exciting thing. " West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason told BBC WM: "A disappointing result. The small details dictated how the game went. "Their goal from a set-play was disappointing, I didn't feel like they created a great deal but they scored at good times and made it tough for us to break them down. "The second half, we showed a little more belief, a little bit more directness and we created opportunities so it's a disappointing result. "We need to respond and we have another training week to improve and hopefully turn it around. " This video can not be played Edwards: 'We showed a lot of resilience tonight' Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 19th September 2025 at 21: 54 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Rob Edwards Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Manager: Ryan Mason Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Rob Edwards Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Manager: Ryan Mason Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Championship All competitions All competitions All competitions Middlesbrough have won each of their last three league meetings with West Bromwich Albion without conceding, last winning four in a row versus the Baggies between 1994 and 1997. West Bromwich Albion have only won on one of their last seven league trips to Middlesbrough (D2 L4), winning 1-0 under Slaven Bilic in October 2019 through a Hal Robson-Kanu goal. Middlesbrough have picked up 13 points in five Championship games so far this season (W4 D1) – only two of the last 10 teams with 13+ points at this stage have then been promoted: Leeds United in 2019-20 and Fulham in 2021-22. West Bromwich Albion have won their last two away Championship matches, more than they won in their previous 20 on the road (W1 D11 L8). The last time the Baggies won three away in a row was their first three away games of 2024-25. Middlesbrough’s Matt Targett has been involved in a goal in each of his two Championship games so far for the club (1 goal, 1 assist). Targett’s ended on the winning side in 69. 6% of his Championship appearances (16/23), the 10th best ratio of any player to make 20+ appearances since 2004-05. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.