Middlesbrough FC 0 Huddersfield Town 0. Milestone clean sheet for Town as Boro lack wit

A first clean sheet away from home since this exact same fixture last Easter and while Huddersfield Town’s wait for a maiden success on their travels in 2022-23 continues, it was a better point for them than Middlesbrough on Fotheringham’s 39th birthday.

A goalless draw between these two strugglers were something many would have predicted beforehand. A point apiece was certainly right.

Boro got frenzied and had a lot of the ball in the final quarter. But Town were disciplined.

They threatened to take over early in the second half. Boro came back into it and the visitors were forced to reassess and settle for their point in what is likely to be Leo Percovich’s last game in caretaker charge of Boro.Michael Carrick was not in the directors box watching. If he watches footage of this game, he will know he has plenty to work on should he take the Boro post as expected.Tactically, Boro retained a back four and the 4-3-3 formation which served them so well at Wigan, while Town made an interesting switch to a 4-2-3-1, with Yuta Nakayama restored to the starting line-up with a brief to look after Isaiah Jones.

Jack Rudoni was handed a creative licence further forward, with Duane Holmes starting on the left for the visitors.

It was not the biggest surprise to witness a pretty low-key first-half. It was Town who were entitled to feel more positive as they registered their first half-time shut-out on their travels so far this season.Scares were infrequent. There was one early on when alert defending Tom Lees ensured that Chuba Akpom did not get on the end of Jones’s inviting delivery, while a free-kick from the recalled Alex Mowatt flew just wide much later in the half.

Ex-Town captain Tommy Smith also almost got a glance-in to Paddy McNair, while referee Andy Davies was unmoved close to the break when Duncan Watmore went down under pressure from Lees. It looked a close call.

Aside from Jones’s good early delivery, his radar was wonky. At the other end, any vestiges of quality came from Sorba Thomas, who looked the most threatening player on the pitch.

He went the closest when his excellent corner clipped the woodwork. A dangerous low cross from the right had earlier almost set up Danny Ward and a rasping drive was not far away close to the interval.

Pretty enthused by the interval scoreline on their travels, Town started with gusto in the second half, with the flakiness of Boro keeper Steffen no doubt also noted.

The US international looked suspect at judging Thomas’s deliveries in the first half and he then coughed up a routine shot from Rudoni soon after the resumption with Ward’s follow-up fortunately straight at him.

The resultant corner from Thomas had him scrambling as well.

It was there for the taking for Town, but could they cash in. They didn’t. But a point is not to be sniffed at on the road.

Boro emptied the bench, but to no avail. Nicholls dashed out quickly to deny Watmore and Muniz blazed over. It was desperate as opposed to inspired.