Below-par Boro drop out of play-offs after defeat at home to Radcliffe

Already one goal down to former Boro player Danny Greenfield’s 25-yard free-kick, the hosts conceded from a stoppage time corner and then saw a deflected effort loop into the net 90 seconds into the second half.

To complete a miserable night, Kieran Weledji was sent-off, while Alex Brown failed to start the game after suffering a hamstring injury.

It left Boro manager Jono Greening frustrated with how his team had conceded the goals.

“At 1-0 down we still had a chance but what we can’t do is, we can’t concede 20 seconds before the break," he said. "That absolutely killed us.

“We had a chance to clear it the corner before, but Noah (Wadsworth) played it out for another corner, which invited a little bit more pressure. So instead of one goal down, we were two goals down.

“We said to the boys, it’s difficult to play really good football on that pitch. You need to take care of some of the passes, put in more energy, press higher, with more tackles because they’re a tough team.

“But, we said, whatever happens, you can’t concede straight away. You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to be really strong for 10-15 minutes and get back in the game and get the next goal.

“But to concede a minute-30 into the second half, it absolutely killed us again.

“And then Keiza (Weledji) getting sent off and going down to 10 men, yes, it was a bad night at the office.”

Two days of rain had made the pitch heavy and Boro, who had not played for 10 days, took time to adjust.

The visitors dominated with right-winger Michael Afuye proving to be a pain all evening.

Will Thornton had to be alert to block his fifth-minute strike and Radcliffe then had two shots charged down as they pressed hard, keeping Boro pinned in their own half.

The opening goal came after 23 minutes following a foul by Weledji on Clegg 25 yards from goal.

Greenfield took his time lining up his shot before curling it perfectly around the wall and inside Ryan Whitley’s right post.

Boro then enjoyed their best spell of the match as they gradually fought back but even then Greening was not happy with his team and said: “I just don’t think our passing was good enough; a bit sloppy in possession, a bit safe with our passes, too many sideways passes, too many times back to the keeper.”

Boro’s best effort of the game came after 40 minutes when Alex Purver’s corner was headed powerfully goalwards by Jake Hull, only for the ball to bounce down off the crossbar and away.

That proved costly because Radcliffe then forced three corners in quick succession and from the third, delivered by Afuye, Rick Smith nipped in at the near post to divert the ball into the net.

Things got even worse for Boro within two minutes of the second half kicking off. Clegg won a battle with Wadsworth on the right wing and ran into the penalty area, where his shot took a huge deflection and looped over Whitley to make it 3-0. Any hopes the Seadogs might have had of a comeback ended in the 55th minute with the dismissal of Weledji. He appeared to win the ball cleanly in front of the dug-outs but Greenfield confronted the Boro full-back and when he reacted, a second yellow card saw him dismissed, amid a melee involving 21 players, with only Whitley staying clear.

After that, Boro were all on to try to contain Afuye as the tricky winger teased and tormented them, this time without any end product.

A toothless Boro attack failed to register a single shot on target in the 90 minutes and their only effort in the second half came in the 89th minute when substitute Theo Chapman spooned his effort closer to the corner flag than the goal, summing up a miserable night for his side.

Boro – Whitley, Weledji, Wadsworth, Thornton, Hull, Tear (Waldron 61), Purver, Coyle (Bennett 54), Green (Chapman 67), Allan (Duckworth 83), Colville. Unused sub – Marshall.

Radcliffe – Halstead, Roscoe, McFadzean, Smith, Thornley, Sargent, Ball, Greenfield (Glendon 78), Hulme (James 85), Afuye (Taylor 81), Clegg (Hope 81). Unused subs – Hewelt, Partington, Modi.

Referee – Charles King.

Radcliffe goals – Danny Greenfield 23, Rick Smith 45+1, Clegg 47.

Goal attempts –Boro 3 (0 on target), Radcliffe 12 (5 on target).

Corners – Boro 3 Radcliffe 9.

Offsides – Boro 1 Radcliffe 4.

Yellow cards – Kieran Weledji (Boro) 22 and 55, Alex Purver (Boro) 87.

Red card – Kieran Weledji (Boro) 55.

Boro man of the match – Alex Purver.

Attendance – 521 (40 away).