Report | Middlesbrough 1 Swansea City 0

Swansea City started the new Championship season with a defeat as Middlesbrough’s Dael Fry headed home the only goal of the game at the Riverside Stadium.

The Boro captain met an inswinging corner with a glancing header early in the second half to settle the contest of few clear chances on Teesside.

Ronald had ruffled the side-netting for the Swans with a first-half strike from distance, while Liam Cullen had a header saved.

At the other end Lawrence Vigouroux made a terrific save to deny Morgan Whittaker but it was the hosts who took the spoils on the opening day.

The Swans had Ben Cabango fit to skipper the side after a calf injury, while Ethan Galbraith and Cameron Burgess were handed full debuts on Teesside following a pre-season disrupted by injuries that had prevented head coach Alan Sheehan fielding his strongest team. 

The opening stages were cagey as the teams felt each other out, and there were no clear goalscoring opportunities during the opening 15 minutes.

Nice play down the left saw Galbraith and Josh Tymon work well for the latter to send an effort over the bar.

Hayden Hackney flashed a strike wide after a driving run at the other end. 

Ronald came closest yet when a Cullen knockdown bounced up invitingly and he unleashed a 25-year half-volley that ruffled the side-netting.

Cullen went close himself a few minutes later, with Sol Brynn gratefully gathering in the striker’s glancing header from a Josh Key cross.

Middlesbrough responded, Vigouroux making an outstanding save to tip Whittaker’s ferocious rising drive onto the bar and over.

It remained goalless at the break but Swansea made the better start to the second period, getting on the front foot quickly.

However, Boro struck the opening blow when Fry got across his man at a corner to glance a header down and into the far corner of the net.

Swansea looked for a quick response and Ronald’s driven low cross was just too strong for Cullen to reach, before Jisung Eom drove a low cross behind the arriving white shirts after incisive play had got the visitors in down the left-hand side.

Burgess made a good block to divert Hackney’s well-struck effort away from danger as the hour mark came and went.

Sheehan turned to his bench, brining on Žan Vipotnik and Zeidane Inoussa for Galbraith and Eom. Melker Widell would soon follow as would Kaelan Casey – replacing Cabango after the Wales international received treatment.

But the visitors were unable to find a leveller during the closing stages.

Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Josh Key, Ben Cabango (captain) (Kaelan Casey 76), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon; Jay Fulton, Ethan Galbraith (Žan Vipotnik 64), Gonçalo Franco; Ronald (Melker Widell 71), Jisung Eom (Zeidane Inoussa 64); Liam Cullen.

Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Bobby Wales, Ollie Cooper, Sam Parker, Cameron Congreve.

Middlesbrough: Sol Brynn, Sammy Silvera, Luke Ayling, Morgan Whittaker, Delano Burgzorg (Abdoulaye Kante 71), Callum Brittain, Tommy Conway (Marcus Forss 89), Dael Fry (captain), Hayden Hackney, Alfie Jones, Aidan Morris.

Unused Substitutes: Tom Glover, Dan Barlaser, Neto Borges, Alex Gilbert, Law McCabe, George McCormick, Sonny Finch.

Referee: Farai Hallam

Attendance: 26,036 (685 away)