MATCH REPORT: Boro vs Sheff Utd.

Boro kicked off their Championship challenge with the visit of Sheffield United to the Riverside. With the sun setting on a warm August day, the pitch immaculate and the kits shiny and new it was a perfect opportunity to wipe away the memories of last year’s horror show.

My major concern ahead of this season was our ability to stand-up to the physical bombardment that proved our undoing last year. All too often last year, our pretty football would dominate possession only to be undone by a long-throw or set-piece. Sheffield United are of the Stoke / Bolton / Everton mould and would be a stern examination for day 1.

A fast, frenetic first half showed encouraging signs that lessons had been learnt. Our workrate was high and we were more than prepared to "mix it" when required. Digard and Williams looked to be an excellent pairing with the Frenchman's grit mirrored by Williams' grace and athleticism. A promising debut from the confident Aussie.

Another debutant Danny Coyne will have busier games but more than adequately dealt with everything that came his way - including a couple of smart first-half saves. Wheater and Huth were given a physical test from Darius Henderson (Sheff Utd's solitary outlet) but stood tall and coped well.

For all our solid play in defence and midfield, we continuously struggled to make any serious in-roads behind the Sheffield United defence. For all the buzzing and neat interplay from Johnson and Yeates, possession would be lost as soon as we tried to hit the front men. Long balls from deep were met by a Morgan head and balls into the channels to chase saw our front men muscled-out and the danger mopped up.

I still struggle to see what Aliadiere offers us. He's not a striker, he's not a winger - he's a generic "forward" who doesn't score or make goals. Baffling to me is his continuous inability to judge the flight of long balls and jump too early for flick on headers. A waste of time and possession. "Jezza" also lacks the killer instinct to get in the box and test the keeper - his first instinct is to pass rather than shoot. All very pretty but not very effective.

Lita cannot be accused of lacking that killer instinct and could prove to be the sniffer we need but he's not whole answer. Our need for a physical presence has been widely reported but the need for an old-school number 9 cannot be understated. We need someone to offer us an outlet, we need someone to get hold of the ball and bring the likes of Johnson, Yeates and Lita into play. We need a player whose sole aim is to get in the box and get on the end of things.

We need Mark Viduka back.