Match ends, Middlesbrough 1, Preston North End 0.
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough1PrestonPreston North End0
Middlesbrough maintained their push for automatic promotion from the Championship with a narrow win against Preston North End.
Albert Adomah's first-half strike was enough to stretch Boro's winning league run to four games and edge them four points clear of third-placed Brighton.
David Nugent had chances to add to the lead, but Preston made life tough for the home side with dogged defence.
North End find themselves 12 points off the top six with five games to play.
Burnley's 1-0 home win against Leeds in the early kick-off ensured Aitor Karanka's outfit could not go top, with one point now separating the two sides.
Despite a formidable home record and a return to form since Spaniard Karanka missed the Charlton game to consider his future at the Riverside, Preston were able to frustrate the Teessiders in the first-half.
There was tangible anxiety around the Riverside before Adomah finally cracked the tension just after the half-hour mark with a shot from the right of the box.
Nugent and Grant Leadbitter had good chances to add to Boro's tally either side of the break but Simon Grayson's 10th-placed Preston stayed in the contest.
Visiting defender Marnick Vermijl might have added further concern had his fiercely struck effort not been directed at goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos.
There was a scuffle between the two coaching teams late on, but Boro kept their lead intact to nudge closer to promotion and secure a 21st clean sheet of the season.
Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka:
"It is important to win at this time of the season. Now we have our game in hand but we cannot think we have the three points in our pocket already. Every point is gold.
"We don't want to be in the Championship next season. At the beginning of the season. the aim was to get in the play-offs.
"With the experience we have had from last season, with six games to go, we are there but now we have to forget the play-offs and promotion and just concentrate on the next game.
"The key was the crowd. Sometimes, when you don't feel their support, you are going down but, with them behind us, the team is confident. We are more than together."
Preston manager Simon Grayson:
"We are hugely disappointed that we haven't got a result. We had four players out from the other night.
"We didn't have a full bench but we created them problems and not many sides can say that about that when they come here.
"We really played well and, but for some misses and good saves, we could have got something out of the game.
"You could see the relief for everyone from Middlesbrough at the final whistle. We have some big games to be still involved in. We want to finish as high as we can."
Line-ups
Middlesbrough
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Konstantopoulos
- 24Nsue
- 4Ayala
- 6Gibson
- 3Friend
- 34Forshaw
- 7Leadbitter
- 18StuaniSubstituted forDowningat 63'minutes
- 21RamírezSubstituted forClaytonat 69'minutes
- 27Adomah
- 35Nugent
Substitutes
- 5de Laet
- 8Clayton
- 9Rhodes
- 16de Sart
- 19Downing
- 25Agazzi
- 26Kalas
Preston
Formation 4-1-3-2
- 1Lindegaard
- 2Vermijl
- 6WrightBooked at 52mins
- 23Huntington
- 3Cunningham
- 4PearsonSubstituted forWelshat 62'minutes
- 12Gallagher
- 11Johnson
- 37RobinsonSubstituted forBeckfordat 62'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 13Doyle
- 14Garner
Substitutes
- 8Kilkenny
- 10Beckford
- 16Browne
- 19Welsh
- 30Smith
- 43Kirkland
- Referee:
- Oliver Langford
- Attendance:
- 26,390
Match Stats
Home TeamMiddlesbroughAway TeamPreston
- Possession
- Home55%
- Away45%
- Shots
- Home14
- Away12
- Shots on Target
- Home5
- Away2
- Corners
- Home4
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home9
- Away14
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Middlesbrough 1, Preston North End 0.
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Adam Clayton (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Greg Cunningham (Preston North End).
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Offside, Middlesbrough. Adam Clayton tries a through ball, but Albert Adomah is caught offside.
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David Nugent (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Greg Cunningham (Preston North End).
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Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Eoin Doyle (Preston North End).
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Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Bailey Wright (Preston North End).
Booking
Jermaine Beckford (Preston North End) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Daniel Ayala (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Jermaine Beckford (Preston North End).
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Attempt missed. Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Stewart Downing with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Paul Gallagher.
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Dimitrios Konstantopoulos (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Eoin Doyle (Preston North End).
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Offside, Middlesbrough. Adam Forshaw tries a through ball, but David Nugent is caught offside.
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Hand ball by Adam Forshaw (Middlesbrough).
