Not so long ago Isaiah Jones slipped out of the first team picture at Middlesbrough after requiring heavy duty medication to address mental health issues.
For a time there were fears that the supremely gifted one time Tooting and Mitcham right winger might slide back into non-league football but Michael Carrick never gave up on his high wattage talent and the Middlesbrough manager’s faith was fully vindicated as he illuminated this Wear-Tees derby.
By the time Jones scored Boro’s third goal, Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland were throughly undone and their hopes of securing a fifth win in six Championship games in tatters. Admittedly it might have been very different had Dan Neil not been sent off on the brink of half-time but Boro’s fourth straight second tier win certainly suggested that Carrick has accomplished quite a turn around after an appalling start to the season had raised questions about his future at the Riverside.
The close season loss of, among other key players, last season’s star forwards, Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer, weakened Boro terribly but, with new recruits slowly gelling, Carrick has re-set and re-galvanised last spring’s playoff semi finalists.
Back in the 1980s Mowbray was such an outstanding Middlesbrough centre-half that he earned enduring cult status on Teesside. Sunderland’s manager still lives on Teesside and had a Boro season ticket holding son in the away end on Saturday but the time for any conflicted interests has long since passed.
Much as, in an ideal world, Mowbray would rather like Boro, a club he has also managed, to join Sunderland in winning promotion to the Premier League he was desperate to disappoint his former employers.
That task was complicated appreciably when Neil was dismissed shortly before half time after collecting a second yellow card for dissent. Although Neil protested that Jarred Gillett had misheard, or perhaps misinterpreted, his comments, Mowbray deliberately avoided making eye contact with his midfielder as he eventually trudged off.
Further drama ensued as the whistle blew for the interval. Seconds earlier the Boro forward, Josh Coburn had led with his elbow as he challenged Dan Ballard and the fall out from the latter’s angry reaction prefaced an on pitch melee.
Carrick was sufficiently concerned to sprint onto the field and order his warring players to calm down but when sanity was restored Gillett contented himself with merely booking Coburn and Ballard.
Earlier fine goalkeeping from Boro’s Seny Dieng had kept the scoreline goalless, with one particularly stellar save from Patrick Roberts lingering in the memory. That said Coburn subsequently struck an upright after Anthony Patterson could only parry a drive from Carrick’s Leeds loanee midfielder Sam Greenwood.
Isiah Jones celebrates scoring Middlesbrough’s third goal. Photograph: Varley Picture Agency/Shutterstock
Undeterred the Wearside born Greenwood – schooled in Sunderland’s academy – was celebrating in the 58th minute after meeting Dael Fry’s fine cross and lashing the ball inexorably beyond Patterson.
Two minutes later Boro scored again. Jones had been enjoying himself down the visiting right and his cut back was turned in from close range by Matt Crooks and proved the cue for home fans to begin heading for the exits.
They missed seeing Jones scored a much deserved third goal for Carrick’s side featuring the winger nonchalantly stepping inside a Sunderland challenge before punishing Patterson courtesy of a sublime left foot shot.
By the time Marcus Forss added a 90th minute fourth Mowbray looked desperate for the final whistle.
