“A marmite figure this season” – Middlesbrough fan pundit hails duo’s performance against Birmingham City

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Marcus Tavernier and Anfernee Dijksteel stood out for FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Dana Malt last night, as they claimed a 2-0 victory over Championship strugglers Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.

Coming into this game having won just one point from six, losing heavily against fellow promotion rivals Sheffield United before securing a respectable draw at Millwall, they needed to build on their progress at The Den as they travelled to the West Midlands.

And that’s exactly what they did with Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun getting in and amongst the goals to secure what could be a vital victory in their quest to secure a top-six spot.

This result has placed them in sixth spot ahead of tonight’s round of second-tier fixtures, and though they could be displaced by Sheffield United or Luton Town this evening, they are continuing to put pressure on their promotion rivals.

Goalscorers Connolly and Balogun were praised by FLW’s Middlesbrough fan pundit Malt who have both endured mixed spells since their temporary arrivals at the Riverside in January.

But it was two permanent players that received the most praise from Malt, singling out perhaps two of the most underrated players in the Teesside outfit’s squad.

She said: “Marcus Tavernier, for me, was the best player on the park last night.

“His energy levels are just ridiculous really. He’s only not played once since Chris Wilder came to the club and he’s been quite a marmite figure this season amongst the fanbase.

“A few people have questioned his place in