Boro thrash Watford to book play-off spot and keep autos dream alive

Middlesbrough vs Watford. Sky Bet Championship.

>Riverside StadiumAttendance: Attendance27,482.

>Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Watford at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday; Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway both score twice in huge Boro win.

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>Middlesbrough's hopes of winning automatic promotion from the Sky Bet Championship remain alive after they thrashed Watford 5-1 at the Riverside.

>With second-placed Ipswich drawing at West Brom, Kim Hellberg's side have moved to within a point of the top-two positions with one game to play, although Ipswich still have a game in hand as the promotion battle heads towards its climax.

>Boro's 5-1 victory was their joint-biggest win of the season and came courtesy of doubles from Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway plus a goal from David Strelec.

>Watford's goal came at the start of the second half from James Abankwah, but while the visitors were a match for their opponents for most of the first period, they were comprehensively outplayed after the break.

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>Boro's sixth-minute opener was a spectacular effort, with Whittaker firing a 30-yard free-kick over the Watford wall and into the top left-hand corner.

>Watford came close to claiming an equaliser when Luca Kjerrumgaard fired just wide after Edo Kayembe crossed from the left, and struck the woodwork towards the end of the first half when Boro goalkeeper Sol Brynn touched Kjerrumgaard's low strike on to the post.

>Boro's attacking lacked much of its usual cohesion but, just as Watford looked to be getting on top, the home side doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time.

>Alex Gilbert's pass released Whittaker into the right of the box, and when the winger slid over a low cross from the right, Strelec bundled home from close range.

>Watford did not really deserve to be two goals behind at the break, and the visitors halved their deficit within three minutes of the restart.

>Middlesbrough's defence failed to adequately deal with a corner, and when the ball was returned to the 18-yard box, Abankwah lifted a shot beyond Brynn.

>However, 10 minutes later, Boro restored their two-goal lead as Whittaker claimed his second goal of the game. Matt Targett's low cross was deflected into his path and, from an acute angle, Whittaker swept home a fine finish.

>Boro missed their leading scorer badly when he was sidelined for five matches recently and Whittaker, who also smacked a long-range strike against the crossbar moments before he was substituted in the second half, now has 14 goals this season, cementing his place at the top of the Teessiders' scoring charts.

>Boro added a fourth goal from the spot with 15 minutes left, with Tommy Conway converting after Abankwah handled from Targett's corner.

>And Conway completed the scoring with his second goal in stoppage time, turning neatly in the box before firing home a low finish.

>"Football is an unbelievable sport, and you know that if it goes down to the last day, it is difficult to know how anyone is going to handle that.

>"We've come from a position where we really felt we had nothing to lose in the last week. It felt as though it was probably gone, but if Ipswich do not win their next game, then it will come down to the last day of the season.

>"If that happens, you never know. There are a lot of things that play into that type of game.

>Hopefully, Southampton can take at least a point from Ipswich, and then we will get that exciting last day of the season.

>"The first half was not good for us, but it was two moments of brilliance, the first goal from Morgan and then the brilliant attack that led to the second. That is how we want to play.

>"Then the second half is one of our best performances all season. I like how we played, how we took the ball forward and how calm we were on the ball."

>"The final result is really painful. The first-half performance was really good, as strange as it sounds after the game. I was really proud of the first-half performance, we were really positive and that's what I want my team to look like.

>"We got back into it with a goal after the break, but the third goal was a reflection of just how flaky we are in both boxes. There is not enough resilience in the team.

>"A reset is needed on many points. Now is not the time to go into it - the least we can do is give something back to the fans next weekend at the Vic. It has been a draining season but that doesn't excuse a result like this."

>The £250,000 is up for grabs with Super 6, and as always it is completely free to play. Entries by 3pm Saturday.