Boro hold on to see off the Pikes

Boro may have had a number of regulars away boxing at Paul Ingle’s Gym, but they still fielded a very useful side boasting in-form goal-getter Tom Corner at the head of the attack.

Midfielder Joe Fox, who had been plying his trade with FC United, also slotted into a lively midfield alongside Dominic Rowe, Alex Metcalfe and Dan Clayton and Joel Dixon.

Boro had pulled four goals clear by the early part of the second half, before a healthy number of changes rung by the Boro bench allowed Pickering a path back into the game with two late strikes.

Athletic could well have been further clear by that point though, as a string of chances came and went in the first period.

The pace of Rowe created the first as the winger cruised through the home defence, but his shot was held by Sam Dobbs.

The opener followed soon after, but it was more gifted to Boro than created.

Fox intercepted a loose ball on the edge of the box, rounded Dobbs and rolled home from a tight angle.

Corner then continued his impressive run of form in front of goal when he took advantage of an error from Dobbs to head the second.

Pickering began to show some fight and they created opportunities for Jon Heads and Joe Danby, but both strikes were off target.

Boro soon caught a similar bug, as Clayton bent a free-kick wide, and two raiding runs from Rowe resulted in wayward efforts.

Athletic finished the half in style though, with Metcalfe cutting a low ball into the path of Corner, who bagged his second.

Steve Mallory then picked out Metcalfe with another neat cut-back, but the Boro man hit the foot of the post with his drive.

The game began to dull on a drenched Mill Lane pitch when the game restarted and the large amount of substitutions didn’t help this.

Though once these youthful new faces bedded in, there was still time for something of a late surge.

Firstly Boro sub Tyson Stubbings reacted quickest in the box to poke Boro four goals clear.

Then it was the turn of Pickering to burst into life, inspired by Josh Hutchinson.

He firstly stooped at the far post to head home Pickering’s first of the evening.

Then the youngster took advantage of a defensive error to slip his way into the box before being felled by a clumsy challenge.

Joe Danby’s crashing penalty was the final action of the evening, but Boro still had enough space forced between the sides to leave with the honours.