Flashback: Middlesbrough 3-3 Leicester

Middlesbrough 3-3 Leicester
03/04

It’s mid January 2004, and Leicester head to Middlesbrough for a crucial clash which could potentially lift them out of the bottom three.

Middlesbrough themselves are enduring a difficult season of their own, sitting five points above the Foxes in 14th place.

Things started badly. Ian Walker’s shoddy clearance cannoned back off Joseph-Desire Job, falling kindly at the feet of Brazilian favourite Juninho to open the scoring after only nine minutes.

But former Spurs stopper Walkers made ammends soon after with a penalty save from Job.

Slowly but surely, Micky Adams’ Dads’ Army clawed their way back into the match after a poor first half, and found an equaliser just minutes after the restart.

Wing wizard Steve Guppy’s delightful cross caused confusion inside the ‘Boro penalty area, allowing Paul Dickov to push the ball past the line – with his hand.

But the goal sparked City into life, and they soon began to take control of a shell-shocked Middlesbrough side.

It came as little surprise when they took the lead, Dickov this time finding the net legally after Ricardo Scimeca’s flick-on.

And it got better. Leicester fans had been used to getting beaten most weeks, but finally it looked like three points in the bag when Marcus Bent slammed in a third.

What could go wrong? Of course, how silly of me, we were absolutely rubbish at the back. That’ll probably explain it. This was after all, the team who had managed to lose at Wolves despite being 3-0 up at half time that season.

With Middlesbrough almost resigned to coming away from the match with nothing, Massimo Maccarone popped up a minute from time with a cracker-jack effort from, the edge of the area.

No matter, it was merely a consolation. Right?

But then John Curtis came along.

That’s right, Curtis had managed to stick Gaizka Mendieta’s cross into his own net two minutes into injury time.

Match reports from the time will probably have said ‘unfortunate’ or ‘unlucky’. We knew he was just terrible. Sorry John, but we still haven’t forgiven you for that.