Sunderland 1 - 1 Middlesbrough: Barry Robson’s error sees earlier goal lose its sparkle

BARRY Robson was on the scoresheet for Middlesbrough and picked up the man-of-the-match award, but the former Inverness, Dundee United and Celtic mdifielder was left distraught at the Stadium of Light yesterday after his mistake handed derby rivals Sunderland an FA Cup lifeline.

Robson, whose stunning 16th-minute volley had fired the npower Championship visitors into the lead, played a part in substitute Fraizer Campbell’s 59th-minute equaliser when his loose pass set James McClean away on a pacy counter-attack. Robson’s error did not prevent him being named man of the match at the end of a pulsating fourth-round encounter, but his manager Tony Mowbray revealed that proved little consolation.

Mowbray said of Robson: “He came in and he threw his champagne in the bin. He is a very emotional boy, Barry, and yet he epitomises the spirit required as we as a club move on.

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“Particularly in the Championship, you have to fight your corner every minute of every game, and Barry Robson leads from the front in that aspect. He also has a left foot like we have seen. If you were there against Hull a month or so ago, he rifled one in the top corner from 35 yards with his left foot. Today, he scored a great first-time volley. He has the quality, as well as a heart the size of a lion, to help drive us on this season.”

Sunderland were dealt a major blow ahead of kick-off when skipper Lee Cattermole, who made his name as a teenager at Middlesbrough, was ruled out by a hamstring injury, a misfortune which was to prove significant before the break.

Craig Gardner took his place in the middle of the field, but without Cattermole’s bite, the Teessiders were able to prosper as Rhys Williams, Marvin Emnes and Robson, aided when not in possession by Faris Haroun and former Celtic striker Scott McDonald, made life intensely difficult for their counterparts.

The visitors started brightly and Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was relieved to grasp McDonald’s third-minute volley to his chest after it had threatened to squirm from his grasp.

Sunderland gradually worked their way into the game and might have gone ahead seven minutes later, only for Sebastian Larsson to head wastefully wide after Stephane Sessegnon had tricked his way past Robson and crossed from the right.

Middlesbrough had an escape three minutes later when defender Seb Hines headed a David Vaughan corner straight at team-mate Haroun and saw the ball loop over Danny Coyne’s crossbar.

But it was they who took the lead in spectacular style with 16 minutes gone. Emnes made life difficult for defender John O’Shea, captaining Sunderland in Cattermole’s absence, and he could only loop a weak header towards Robson on the left side of the penalty area. The Scot needed no second invitation and unleashed a stinging volley which flew past Mignolet’s despairing dive and into the bottom corner.

The travelling fans behind Coyne’s goal were in raptures, but as the half wore on, it was they who started to see far more of the ball than they would have liked.

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Coyne got down well to block McClean’s 23rd-minute shot and was in the right place at the right time to claim the winger’s close-range header seconds later.

However, the game erupted into controversy with six minutes of the half remaining after Sunderland thought they had dragged themselves back into it. Gardner controlled Kieran Richardson’s cross with a hint of handball and fired home off the inside of the far post with striker Connor Wickham watching the ball home at close hand.

But the celebrations were ended abruptly by a flag, and after consulting his assistant, referee Kevin Friend ruled out the effort, apparently for offside against Wickham, despite the fact that he had not intervened.

Speaking afterwards, Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill said: “I have been told it was given for offside, and it wasn’t offside. The referee is adamant that’s what the linesman gave it for. There is supposedly a suggestion of handball beforehand, which I don’t think he saw.

“I said to the referee at half-time, ‘Was it handball or offside?’, and he said, ‘I never mentioned handball’, so if it was given for offside, it should have stood.”

Mowbray was similarly puzzled, if less disappointed, by the referee’s decision. He said: “Martin had a very similar view to me and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have known what on earth that goal wasn’t given for when he sees the linesman’s flag up.”

Sunderland’s mood might have darkened further on the stroke of half-time when Lukas Jutkiewicz found himself in on goal, but Mignolet saved his initial effort and when Haroun fed the rebound back to him, he fired harmlessly across goal.

Campbell replaced Wickham at the break, although it was Boro who enjoyed the better openings during the early exchanges. Emnes volleyed just wide with 50 minutes gone and Robson curled a free-kick a yard past the post with the visitors refusing to sit on their lead.

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The home side’s fortunes took a turn for the worse when defender Wes Brown limped off after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge with Emnes.

However, the ten men levelled in stunning style as Michael Turner prepared to replace him. McClean ran on to Robson’s poor back-pass before squaring for Campbell, who slipped his shot unerringly past Coyne to send a sigh of relief around the stadium.

O’Neill’s men tore into their opponents as the momentum swang firmly their way, although Boro continued to make a real fight of it.

Play switched rapidly from end to end, but neither side was able to find the killer blow in a rousing finale during which Williams was perhaps fortunate to see yellow rather than red for a wild challenge on Vaughan.

Campbell was making his first senior appearance since August 2010 as a result of two serious knee injuries and the equaliser was his first goal since April 2010. O’Neill added: “I am really, really delighted for him, and I think everybody is around here – it’s hard not to be with the injuries he has sustained. He took it brilliantly as well.”