Championship play-offs: Boro beat Bees despite Gray and goalie gaffe

Middlesbrough loanee and substitute Fernando Amorebieta scored his first goal for the club deep into second-half stoppage time at Griffin Park, giving the Teesside team a slender 2-1 lead in their Championship play-off semi-final with Brentford.

Bees top scorer Andy Gray profited from a rare lapse in judgment from Middlesbrough’s Greek goalie Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, statistically the best keeper during the regular second-tier season, to equalise and seemingly leave the tie in the balance.

Former Belgium striker Jelle Vossen had earlier given Aitor Karanka’s Boro a first-half lead in a thoroughly absorbing contest and excellent advert for the play-offs in west London.

Konstantopoulos had to tip an Alan Judge drive onto the angle of post and bar when the Irish winger came infield from the left, following a dominant start by Brentford and spell of possession.

After 25 minutes, Middlesbrough went ahead somewhat against the run of play through Vossen. He peeled into space, between full back Moses Odubajo and another defender, to head home Adam Clayton’s right-wing cross.

Another Odubajo error then gifted Lee Tomlin a chance to extend Boro’s lead on half an hour, but Bees keeper David Button tipped his low effort round the near post.

Vossen then thought he had doubled his tally, turning George Friend’s flick-on from a corner goalwards from point-blank range. Replays showed Button did just enough to keep all of the ball crossing the line.

James Tarkowski’s stooping set-piece header went just over for the hosts before the break, but nine minutes into the second half Brentford were level.