BORO VS. TRANMERE

Middlesbrough Futsal Club play take on old rivals Tranmere Victoria on Sunday when they host the English Championship finalists at Thornaby Pavilion, kick off 2pm and hope the support of the locals can help Boro turn their season around.

Since winning the British University Championship in March, Middlesbrough haven’t won a game picking up only one point away in Liverpool and their playoff hopes now rest in the hands of other teams doing them favours.

Tranmere are currently in third place, two points ahead of Middlesbrough and have more of a chance of breaking into the top two than Boro, but Middlesbrough will have revenge on the agenda from the reverse fixture and of course the playoffs last season where Tranmere held Boro to a 1-1 draw before taking a walkover to progress to the final.

A win for Middlesbrough will give them a glimmer of hope in the title race but Damon Shaw is playing down his team’s chances this season.

“We set out with the aim of reaching the playoffs, but we knew it would be a difficult season and the important thing is we consolidate for next year. With no pressure on us now, we can really focus on improving as a team as I believe we have the best potential we’ve ever had. I’ve seen us play some fantastic stuff at times and we only have to look at BUCS as proof we have that potential. We just need to be more consistent and play well for full games.

“If we do this and pick up a few wins then we can finish the season well. It’s up to Manchester and Sheffield to lose the league as they are pretty comfortable in the top two places, but hopefully we’ll be there in case they do slip up.”

This weekend also sees the semi finals of the UEFA Futsal Cup – the equivalent of the UEFA Champions League and for anybody who has Eurosport, check out the matches on Friday evening and Sunday evening. Benfica could come up against Madrid in the final. One day, Boro hope to be there!

You can support Boro from as little as £1. Tickets cost £2 for adults and £1 for kids with a family ticket costing £4. They can be bought online at BoroFutsal.com or you can pay on the day. The doors open at 1pm and kick off is at 2pm at Thornaby Pavilion. Plenty of free kids vouchers have been sent to schools as well!


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com