Rob Edwards leaps to defence of key Middlesbrough man after costly Portsmouth mistake
Pompey ended Middlesbrough’s unbeaten start to the season, with a 1-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has refused to lay blame on goalkeeper Sol Brynn for their defeat to Pompey.
And the head coach believed his side lacked any real quality to trouble John Mousinho’s men at Fratton Park.
The Blues were able to topple Boro to bring to an end the Championship high-flyer’s unbeaten start to the season.
Although the Spurs loanee’s strike was straight at Brynn, the Middlesbrough stopper was unable to save the effort which was right in front of the travelling support.
And Edwards has leapt to defend his number one after some criticism from the away end and made it clear the 23-year-old has been key to their early-season success.
The Boro boss told Teesside Live: ‘Sol has been amazing for us. Every player will look at themselves and what they could have done better in that moment.
‘Goals wins games, ultimately. But he’s been brilliant for us and he’s been a big part of why we’ve been successful so far this season.’
Middlesbrough went into the contest as one of two sides undefeated in the Championship after the first seven matches.
But Pompey were able to limit Boro to any clear-cut chances throughout the afternoon, with the Blues holding onto a crucial three points going into the international break.
Rob Edwards: Middlesbrough huffed and puffed but lacked quality
But Edwards made it clear his side had lacked quality in the final third to really challenge Mousinho’s men.
‘We huffed and puffed and tried to get into the right areas throughout, but the end product just wasn’t good enough today. It’s all well and good having a lot of the ball, but you’ve got to do something with it. One shot on target is not enough, ultimately.
‘They didn’t have much either, but they did enough to win the game. It’s a goal that we could have stopped by not giving the ball away, and then a couple of bits we could have avoided after that as well.
‘But once they got that goal, the onus is not on them to come out to us, so we’ve got to try and find a way.
‘We threw everything at it with substitutions and trying to get as many goals on the pitch as possible. We tried every which way we could and it certainly wasn’t down to a lack of effort. It’s just that last bit that was lacking.’
The victory ensures Pompey go into the international break 14th in the standings, while Middlesbrough dropped to second in the table following Coventry City’s 5-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.