Tommy Conway's instant positive impression and interesting role - Middlesbrough start debrief
Tommy Conway had barely been on the pitch for his Middlesbrough home debut for minutes. Without much of a pre-season after a difficult summer spent ostracised from the Bristol City first-team, he can't have been anywhere close to fully fit.
He had 12 tough minutes at Derby the week before but was still getting to grips with life at Boro when he was thrown on for the final 20 minutes against Portsmouth with Michael Carrick's men 2-1 down and desperately seeking a way back into the game.
Quickly getting onto the ball and adding some impetus to the Boro attack, Conway drove into the box and won his side a corner. With not a second thought, the striker quickly grabbed the ball, handed it to the corner taker before turning back to the south stand and throwing his arms up to whip them up.
READ MORE: Middlesbrough injury latest for Bristol City with Tommy Conway and Hayden Hackney updates
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It was a clear statement of intent from the new boy, who has shown that same desire in every Boro appearance since. It's the kind of desire and hunger that has epitomised his busy and lively start to life at Boro, and one which made him instantly popular on the Teesside terraces - helped by the fact he stepped forward in the closing minutes of that Portsmouth game and scored the equaliser from the penalty spot, not shying away from a high-pressure moment to rescue his side.
That was his first goal for the club, and his second would shortly follow. Displaying his energy and ability running off the last shoulder, he profited from an excellent Luke Ayling ball down the channel to run through from a deep position and show fine composure to finish against Preston North End. That composure when one-on-one is a particular part of his game he'd worked on in the last two years at Bristol City, and he showed the fruits of his labour in that moment.
Sadly not available for Boro's last three but back in contention for Saturday's clash with the Robins, what's been particularly interesting about those Boro appearances to date is that, despite signing as a centre forward, he's been playing in the role behind the main striker - much in the same way Chuba Akpom was converted back when Carrick first arrived.
Even at Cardiff, when deadline-day drama meant Emmanuel Latte Lath travelled late and therefore wasn't deemed ready to start, Conway still occupied the role behind the main striker, which in South Wales was Delano Burgzorg. Just prior to his injury though, there were signs of Conway and Latte Lath forming an intriguing partnership.
Often fluid in the way they build up in attack, against Preston and Sunderland, there were signs of a side that, out of possession, looked more structured like a 4-2-2-2, with the two wide men dropping narrower and Conway a lot closer to Latte Lath. The pair then peeled into wider areas of the pitch when possession was won, looking for the more direct balls into the channels to make use of their pace. It was that exact means that grabbed Conway his goal against Preston.
In the three-game period since, with Ben Doak introduced to the side and displaying the kind of old-fashioned wing play that has transformed Boro's attack, quite how Conway blends into the system remains to be seen. Finn Azaz has occupied the role Conway and vacated and, while not a dribbler or runner like Conway, Azaz's qualities on the ball and ability to find pockets of space ultimately help the likes of Doak shine more.
Whether Conway can replicate that, fit into the side in an alternative way, or has to move back to his more natural centre-forward role remains to be seen. It's an interesting and exciting problem for Carrick to have. Though he didn't finish the chance, he showed potential to do a similar role to Azaz at Sunderland when he sprayed the ball to Isaiah Jones and then timed his run into the penalty area well to get on the end of the ensuing cross. It that respect, it was very Chuba-esque.
The injury has been quite disruptive for Conway, just as he was just starting to really cement his place in that Boro team. How quickly he can get back is yet to be seen. But if that early hunger and determination are anything to go by, even with such blessed options at that end of the pitch, Carrick is going to struggle to leave him out.