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<\/p>\nDavid Strelec scored what will hopefully prove a big goal for him and Middlesbrough at Birmingham<\/p>\n
Middlesbrough’s David Strelec celebrates scoring his side’s third goal(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
It was hard not to think of Emmanuel Latte Lath as David Strelec headed home his fourth Middlesbrough<\/a> goal at Birmingham City on Monday evening.<\/p>\n That he found space in the penalty area and got on the end of a Luke Ayling cross only added to the perfection of the narrative.<\/p>\n As discussion around Strelec\u2019s<\/a> first season at Boro<\/a> ramped up ahead of Boro\u2019s trip to Birmingham, the comparison was made to Boro\u2019s last star striker to arrive from overseas, with the reminder that the Ivorian didn\u2019t enjoy the best of starts in England either.<\/p>\n Latte Lath would finish his first season with an incredible 16 Championship goals, but that was thanks to 11 goals in his final 12 games. Until that point, he was only slightly ahead of Strelec,<\/a> with five goals.<\/p>\n Like the Slovakian, Latte Lath had struggled to adapt in England in his first six months or so. Niggling injuries hampered him as he tried to get up to speed.<\/p>\n Then, something just clicked. More often than not, that click was an Ayling cross with pinpoint accuracy onto the speedster\u2019s head.<\/p>\n How could it not feel so fitting then that, with 12 games remaining, Strelec headed home a vital goal for Boro at St Andrew\u2019s, from an Ayling cross.<\/p>\n It might be unfair to now expect the 24-year-old to go on and net another ten goals between now and the end of the season to fully emulate Latte Lath on Teesside, but the hope will be that the goal proves a big one for both Boro and Strelec individually.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully,\u201d his boss Kim Hellberg said when asked after. \u201cHe did some unbelievable work today. How he worked, how he pressed the goalkeeper, how he was working with that one.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then, of course, the goal is just top class. It\u2019s a good ball in, and then the header is top. I\u2019m very pleased with him scoring, he deserves the goal.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been working very hard and he\u2019s coming back from an injury. It\u2019s been a tough period, moving from Slovakia to here, a young kid. It\u2019s tough and I\u2019m so happy for him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe deserved that one for the way he works every day. I\u2019m very happy for him and he\u2019ll just keep growing from that.\u201d<\/p>\n FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! Keep up with all the Middlesbrough FC latest via the Gazette’s dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n Hellberg, it\u2019s fair to say, has always backed him. Through all the doubts, through the tough periods where goals were not coming or injuries were impacting him, the Boro boss has stood firm in his belief that there\u2019s a gem there.<\/p>\n While they are, of course, things you\u2019d expect any head coach to say publicly, it\u2019s understood that\u2019s genuinely Hellberg\u2019s belief. And perhaps the biggest evidence of that was picking Strelec for such a vital game on Monday ahead of top scorer Morgan Whittaker.<\/p>\n Hellberg explained: \u201cYou have to try to make the right decisions. Sometimes you get them right, sometimes you get them wrong. Of course, it was good today.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a lot of things going our way, and you sometimes need that. David was going to get the sub and then we got a free kick, and then it\u2019s a corner. So we keep him on and then he scores that one. So yeah, it was a good day.\u201d<\/p>\n Strelec hasn\u2019t had the easiest of starts at Boro after his big-money move in the summer. What was such an important goal in Boro\u2019s promotion race, however, will hopefully prove the catalyst for many more big moments from the Slovakian.<\/p>\n Ensure our latest Middlesbrough FC headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate<\/a> or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n Here at TeessideLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Middlesbrough FC<\/a> coverage and analysis.<\/p>\n Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest Boro news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here <\/a>to subscribe.<\/p>\n Your information will be hidden, you’ll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice <\/a>.<\/p>\n