HE might have produced one of the misses of the season as Middlesbrough beat Stoke City on Tuesday night, but Michael Carrick was delighted with the way Tommy Conway put his disappointment behind to make a crucial second-half contribution to his side’s success.
Conway blazed over the crossbar from a couple of yards out when Boro were leading 1-0 at the bet365 Stadium, with his miss looking extremely costly when Stoke equalised on the stroke of half-time.
However, after Finn Azaz restored the Teessiders’ lead after the interval, Conway made the three points safe with a clinical finish from the left-hand side of the area with 17 minutes remaining.
Carrick was left with his head in his hands when Conway missed before the interval, but the Boro boss never doubted that the Scotland international would bounce straight back.
“You have to be able to do that,” said Carrick, whose side host relegation-threatened Derby County at the weekend. “I was never strong enough to play as a nine, missed too many chances so ended up playing midfield, but as a striker you have to be able to score and miss and he keeps getting in there.
“He's always in there, he gets chances, he got a goal last week, another tonight, his minutes per goal is impressive this season. We have to keep making those opportunities for him.”
