Middlesbrough 2-0 Birmingham: Spanish one-two sees Boro enter first day heaven

There was a real sense of optimism around The Riverside as Middlesbrough made the ideal start to their Championship campaign.

Boro had two objectives for this game to record their first win on the opening day of the season since 2008, and to see their new striker Kike score.

That both were achieved made for an excellent start for manager Aitor Karanka.

Boro are in their sixth consecutive season of Championship football, and have hopes that they can make an impact in the promotion picture.

Bookmakers suggest they are slight outsiders to go up, but in the last two years, Hull, Crystal Palace and Burnely have all done it against the odds.

Karanka has now had a pre-season to really get his ideas across, and he has certainly brought a Spanish flavour to Teesside.

The two debutants were both Spaniards, in goalkeeper Tomas Mejias and striker Kike.

Mejias had little chance to show what he had learned from working alongside Iker Casillas at Real Madrid for years.

But at the other end, it was just what the Boro fans wanted from their new £2.75 million striker.

Kike scored one, should have had another and generally linked up well with his new team-mates, which augurs well for the campaign.

He has joined from Spanish Second Division side Murcia, where he grabbed 23 goals last season and was the second top-scorer.

A similar return in England would do very nicely indeed, and it will do his confidence no harm to be up and running straight away.

If Karanka has been tinkering with his team, opposite number Lee Clark had undertaken a radical summer overhaul at Birmingham with 11 players in and 16 out.

There were just three survivors in the starting line-up from the team that only secured their Championship future with an injury-time equaliser in the last game of last season at Bolton, as Clark handed starts to five of his new boys. Birmingham had won every one of their pre-season friendlies, but this was a return to the harsh realities of league football and they were lucky not to suffer a heavier defeat.

The build-up to the opening game of the season is like no other, so spare a thought for Ben Gibson. The young Boro defender pulled up with a hamstring injury after just 15 seconds, which ended his afternoon.

Thankfully, they had a good replacement in Kenneth Omeruo.

The Nigerian has re-signed for another year’s loan from Chelsea, having last been seen on international duty at the World Cup in Brazil.

Both Adam Reach and Albert Adomah looked lively, but Boro struggled to make a real opening in the first 30 minutes.

When the first goal came it was from a set piece as another Spaniard, centre-half Daniel Ayala, came up from the back to head home Grant Leadbitter’s corner.

It was crucial as it gave the home team that extra shot of confidence.

George Friend showed the skill of a left winger and the finish of a left back from one chance, while Adomah was denied by Randolph just after the interval.

The one-way traffic continued, and Randolph needed to make another crucial save from Adomah, after Mejias had launched a counter-attack from a Birmingham corner.

But Kike settled matters, as he showed good striking instincts to score from six yards when the ball bounced his way.

The only disappointment was when the new number nine failed to put the finishing touches to a gloriously worked free-kick involving Leadbitter and Tomlin.

It didn’t affect this game but Karanka will hope that his big summer purchase delivers plenty more goals between now and May.