Lung injury for Ehiogu as Yorke adds to Boro pain

Whatever it was that got 550 people excited enough to get arrested in Middlesbrough on New Year's Eve, you can safely assume it was not the football team's away form in the Premiership and they began 2003 as they finished 2002 by failing to score on their travels.

It is now over 11 playing hours since they last found the back of a non-Riverside net in the league and, if they perform as they did against Blackburn yesterday, it will be a lot longer before the drought ends. On this evidence, Boro make Bambi look threatening.

The paradox is that they also boast one of the tightest defences away from home, with only 12 goals conceded, so their record of only four points from a possible 33 is littered with a lot of 1-0 defeats and, true to form, they succumbed to a single blow against Rovers.

"It's torture, but we can't continue not scoring away from home," said Steve McClaren, the Middlesbrough manager. "We're among the top scorers at home, so it's not as if we're not capable of getting goals. We've got to keep believing that eventually things will turn. At the moment, we are in the trenches with our helmets on and nothing seems to be going our way."

The eighth-minute injury to Ugo Ehiogu, who was taken to hospital after puncturing a lung and fracturing ribs in a collision with Brad Friedel, can be included in that catalogue of misfortune and he is likely to be out for several months.

The first half was a bore, enlivened only by Middlesbrough's best chance. Geremi released the disappointing Alen Boksic after 36 minutes and a goal looked certain when he drilled across towards Massimo Maccarone. But a mixture of Maccarone's excitement and the muscular presence of Rovers' Lucas Neill ensured he missed the ball entirely.

Blackburn, arguably, had been the worse of two poor teams in the first half but the introduction of Keith Gillespie brought impetus to the right, and it was from his flank that the Blackburn goal stemmed. Dwight Yorke stepped over the winger's pass in the 57th minute to leave Gareth Southgate stranded and a ricochet between Andy Cole and Tony Vidmar turned into a near-perfect pass to Yorke, who volleyed past Mark Schwarzer.

With Middlesbrough getting less dangerous by the minute – they were booed by their own supporters at the end – Blackburn might have added to Yorke's strike, going closest in the 65th minute when 17-year-old James McEveley thumped a 20-yard shot against the bar.

Five minutes later Cole, who had an outstanding game, deceived Vidmar with a deft drag-back and turn, and would have added another spectacular goal to the one he scored at Anfield on Boxing Day had Schwarzer not got his finger tips to his curling shot. But Blackburn had already done enough.

"It was two tired teams in the first half, the holiday programme had taken its toll," said their manager, Graeme Souness. "I told the players that if they could find an extra gear they would probably win it and so it worked out."

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Friedel 5; Neill 6, Taylor 5, Johansson 5, McEveley 6 (Todd 5, 74); Danns 4 (Gillespie 6, h-t), Tugay 7, Flitcroft 6, Thompson 6; Cole 8, Yorke 7 (Ostenstad, 84). Substitutes not used: Dunn, Kelly (gk).

Middlesbrough (4-3-1-2): Schwarzer 5; Parnaby 5, Ehiogu 5 (Vidmar 5, 8), Southgate 6, Queudrue 5; Geremi 7, Wilson 6, Greening 5; Job 7 (Windass 5, 78); Maccarone 3 (Nemeth 5, 72), Boksic 3. Substitutes not used: Wilkshire, Crossley (gk).

Referee: D Pugh (Bebington) 7.