Middlesbrough 1-1 West Bromwich Albion - Baggies come from behind to draw at Boro
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Isaiah Jones' only previous goal for Middlesbrough was in a 1-0 home win over Swansea last December
Steve Bruce's West Bromwich Albion made a spirited start to the new Championship season as they came from a goal down at half-time to earn a deserved point at Middlesbrough.
Isaiah Jones' beautifully worked 10th-minute opener was reward for Boro's good start.
But John Swift then scored on his first Albion start six minutes into the second half, set up by fellow debutant Jed Wallace, as the Baggies cancelled out Jones' goal with an equally well-worked one of their own.
Up against one of his former players Chris Wilder, who was on the bench for Sheffield United when Bruce made his managerial debut in August 1998, the Albion boss was making his second visit to Teesside this year, having lost to Wilder's Boro in one of his first games in charge of the Baggies in February.
But Albion, particularly in the second half, now look more of a threat than they did last winter when they declined so badly, leading to the loss of Valerien Ismael, followed by Bruce's initial failure to have an impact.
But, with the arrival of key summer signings Wallace and Swift, abetted by the late introduction of an obviously now fully fit-again Daryl Dike they now look to have a real cutting edge.
They were up against a Boro side who are also expected to be up there challenging after narrowly missing out on the play-offs last season - and the hosts stunned them with a superbly chiselled opener.
Albion had already gone close when Wallace had on-loan debutant home keeper Zack Steffen backpedalling to turning his impudent long-range chip from near the right touchline onto the bar.
But, when Wolves loan man Ryan Giles and striker Chuba Akpom cut Albion open down the left - and right wing-back Jones was on hand in the box to fire home a low right-foot shot.
Giles then set up an even better chance for Duncan Watmore, but the cross bounced awkwardly at ankle height and, from five yards out, the off-balance Boro striker watch aghast as he shinned it wide.
Watmore paid for it when Albion made such a swift response straight after the restart.
This time it was the Baggies who did the carving open down the right flank before Wallace cleverly squared his low cross just in behind the retreating Boro defence - and Swift arrived on cue and unattended to place a firmly struck shot with his right instep just inside the left post.
Swift was then denied a second within a couple of minutes when his trickery in the box created an opening and Steffen had to be alert at his near post, while Marcus Forss came off the bench, following his move from Brentford on Thursday, to fire an effort wide, while Jonny Howson had an effort deflected just wide when David Button was wrong-footed.
But a draw was a fair result for Albion to take into their first home game against Watford on Monday week, while Boro are back in action next Saturday at QPR.
As well as Steffen, Giles and Forss, Darragh Lenihan was the fourth debutant on show for Boro, whose boss Chris Wilder said there will be other new arrivals before the close of the August window.
Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Tees:
"We were sensational first half. We moved them about all over the park and just didn't have that killer instinct to finish them off.
"But we always knew they'd be tough opposition and, credit to Steve, they've got some good players. They came storming back at us and it became a bit like a game of basketball.
"They didn't finish us off and, in the last 25 minutes, anything could have happened. Both teams had a right go at it."
West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Bruce told BBC Radio WM:
"We didn't really recover after the goal. We didn't react in the way I hoped we would, and the second half was a whole lot better.
"But it has to come from within, not from me ranting and raving like a radgey old idiot. It's been a tough couple of years for some of them, who took a bit of a kicking in the Premier League. We still have the nucleus of that squad and it's taken a lot of shaking off.
"If we can keep playing like we did in the second half, then we have an outstanding chance. We had to take it them and play with a bit more intensity and thankfully they responded. And, for Jed Wallace and John Swift, they've got off to a wonderful start."