Attacking output not yet firing

ROB Edwards explained why he decided to hand Kaly Sene and Sontje Hansen Middlesbrough starts at Portsmouth - ruling out the changes being because of Boro's attacking issues of late.

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Boro had drawn a blank in the midweek defeat at Stoke City, and the two changes of Sene and Hansen came off the back of that, and bright cameos from both in that one.

However, as they came into the fold, they too ultimately struggled to add the spark to Boro's attack.

A 1-0 defeat at Portsmouth saw Boro register just one shot on target all game. While both showed individual flashes of their quality, Boro's lack of connection and rhythm in attack ultimately meant the pair had very little to feed off.

Explaining the changes he made for the game, Edwards said: "We felt that we could do with some speed on that last line and I wanted to freshen things up a bit as well.

"It's been a tough week. Kaly Sene's speed and threat on the last line we felt could work for us today. We got him in behind a couple of times in that first half.

the pitch married up with a head coach who is so effective at communication, the cracks between club and fanbase that began to show last season have been plastered over.