Wanderers had previously stood up to whatever the Championship has to offer but finally found one too good in Middlesbrough who showed their class on a chastening night at the Toughsheet, writes Pete Oliver.
Bar a late lapse at Millwall, the Whites had never been comfortably beaten in their five previous losses this season as they had shown they could live at this level.
But after two big away performances within the past week-and-a-half this proved a step too far as Steven Schumacher’s men were out-played by a Boro team that could have added to their five goals but for a superb performance from goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
Thelonius Bair’s goal just before half-time briefly halted the flow at 3-1 and Wanderers were still just about in the game early in the second half. But Kim Hellberg’s free-flowing team always had too much and a goal from former favourite Amario Cozier-Duberry and a second from top scorer Will Lankshear completed the job for a Boro side still beaten just once in the season and sitting – for now – at the top of the table.
Wanderers’ own fortunes won’t be determined to losing to one of the best but a first defeat in three games briefly stopped the momentum and Schumacher will now be looking for a response with three games to go before the next international break.
After coming through tough tests at Wolves and Southampton with four points to show for it, this was another against a side aiming for promotion and Schumacher made four changes to the Whites’ starting line-up to try and take on the challenge.
Ruben Rodrigues – one of those returning – had an early chance to give Wanderers the lead after Gaizka Larrazabal had linked well with Bair before releasing Rodrigues to deliver a tame finish which didn’t trouble Boro keeper Radek Vitek.
And within a minute the Teessiders went ahead. Former Wanderers’ loanee Cozier-Duberry enjoyed his return with a typically explosive performance and when he made space to deliver another cross, Aidan Morris couldn’t miss from inside the six-yard box.
Rodrigues did better with a shot Vitek saved and Bair also dragged an effort wide as the visitors occasionally lived dangerously at the back. But Boro were lethal in attack with their movement and passing game opening Wanderers up time and again.
Bazunu made brilliant saves to deny Cozier-Duberry and Lankshear but was powerless to stop the division’s top scorer making it 2-0 after half an hour.
Again Wanderers were left watching when Tommy Conway squared the ball for Lankshear to help himself to his 10th league goal of the season and things threatened to get worse before half-time when Adilson Malanda headed in from a corner.
That looked like game over but in stoppage time Wanderers gave themselves a glimmer of hope when the ball pinged around the Boro penalty area before Larrazabal picked out Bair to drive the ball home with a decisive low strike to score for the second home game running.
Another goal for Wanderers might have made it interesting and within a minute of the re-start – and a double change from the head coach – Kyliane Dong had a sight of goal from Thierry Gale’s pass and forced Vitek into another stop.
It was a far more even contest as the Whites tried to narrow the gap further and give Boro something to think about, although there continued to be chances for the side beaten in last season’s play-off final as Bazunu again had to save well to deny Lankshear before tipping a Conway effort over the top with another top-drawer stop.
It was end-to-end stuff as Dong failed to make the most of a Wanderers’ break-away and with substitutes Max Conway and Ryan Hardie helping bring some fresh energy to the Whites there was still cause for optimism until Cozier-Duberry finally settled it with 15 minutes to go.
The winger scored plenty of goals on this ground last season and added another with a powerful shot into the roof of the net to finally end Bazunu’s resistance and as the rain lashed down Wanderers leaked another to Lankshire, who tapped in from Riley McGree’s pass as Boro again out-numbered the Whites on the break.
The visiting fans demanded a sixth but Wanderers at least resisted further damage and must now lick their wounds before facing more manageable tasks in the weeks to come to resume their progress.
Wanderers: Bazunu; Larrazabal, Brunt, Toal, Famewo (Conway HT); Dong (Simons 74), Sheehan, Erhahon (Hardie 55), Gale; Rodrigues (Ito HT); Bair (Dalby 55). Substitutes: Bonham, Davies, Iling-Junior, Stephenson.
Booked: Sheehan
Middlesbrough: Middlesbrough: Vitek; Brittain, Phillips, Malanda, Borges; Morris, Berhalter (Peart-Harris 86), McGree (Castledine 79); Cozier-Duberry (Sarmiento 79), Lankshear (Joseph 79), Conway (Arfsten 69). Substitutes: Brynn, Byram, Ayling, Barron.
Booked: None
Referee: Simon Hooper
Attendance: 26,257 (5,206)