Fly Me To The Moon column: Ashley Fletcher could be the man to profit from Middlesbrough's new signings

After all the big build-up, Brentford very much spoiled the party last weekend.

Despite the feel good buzz from the flurry of transfer window activity the scoreline shows that we were turned over. Alright, we might have finished closer to them had David Raya not more than atoned for his early error with a string of top class saves.

Yet it was not just a significant difference in finishing that set both teams apart. The Bees are not top of the league by accident. They are a real cut above.

It is sustained planning and growth that has taken the Londoners to the top of the Championship tree. The underdogs must now be favourites for the league, they have the ammunition to live up to that billing. But it will be unfamiliar territory for Thomas Frank's team.

Boro are maybe only starting out on our journey, from relegation recovery to play-off candidates. We need to give the new signings a chance to bed in and make a difference. We must quickly rediscover our confidence and defensive capabilities. Can Neil Warnock then draw on the experience to fast track us back into contention?

Out of all those January window incomers I was not expecting Yannick Bolasie to be the one to really hit the ground running. He belied the lack of game time to pose a danger down both flanks. He was firing in plenty of good centres, begging to be converted.

No wonder Neil Warnock was so anxious to give Ashley Fletcher plenty of minutes on the pitch in the Under 23 game on Sunday. You feel that a match sharpened Fletcher could be the man to profit from those assists. Especially when Neeskens Kebano really gets firing down the opposite flank. Could down the sides be the routes to make an impact in front of goal?

On another day George Saville could and should have hat a hatful. At least he was stealing in and getting on the end of things from the middle. We will certainly need players taking chances running from deep.

Obviously we will need to tighten up again at the back as we have leaked an alarming number of goals of late, especially at home where the run of defeats is starting to parallel last season. Thankfully we are on the road again this weekend. Maybe we can put the defeat behind us and start to build some momentum again against Wayne Rooney's Derby.

This is another away game that fans will really miss. Always a popular trip. Not just because the ground is a clone of the Riverside. You are guaranteed a hostile atmosphere at the home of the Rams, something that Pride Park inherited from the old Baseball Ground.

For away fans tucked away in the corner it is a real challenge to try and match the noise from the Derby majority and try to battle against the odds to out shout them.

Team and fans have combined in recent years for some memorable performances. Although we will be watching from our homes, fingers crossed we get a really positive reaction and Ram raid Derby County.

Robert Nichols

fmttmboro.com

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