Championship wrap: Boro draws as fans return
Marcus Browne gave his absent manager Neil Warnock and 1000 returning supporters something to cheer as Middlesbrough hit back to claim a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at Riverside Stadium.
Watching from home because of a positive coronavirus test, Warnock saw Dominic Solanke fire the visitors into a 38th-minute lead with a neat back-heel in the EFL Championship clash.
But, despite surely bemoaning his side's lack of cutting edge, he will have been cheered by the sight of substitute Browne meeting a Paddy McNair cross to head a deserved equaliser 10 minutes from time.
Boro was one of eight clubs piloting the return of 1000 fans to matches this weekend.
Another was Norwich City, which needed an 85th-minute Przemyslaw Placheta leveller to earn a 2-2 draw with Preston North End at Carrow Road.
Scott Sinclair put Preston ahead in the 14th minute from the penalty spot and Darnell Fisher restored its lead after Teemu Pukki levelled.
Reading followed up its 2-0 win at Derby County by beating nine-man Barnsley by the same scoreline to go top of the table.
Michal Helik was sent off for Barnsley three minutes before half-time and Mads Andersen also saw red a minute after Yakou Meite had given Reading the lead, with Michael Olise wrapping up the points.
Luton Town is the only other side with six points from its opening two games as Jordan Clark struck an 87th-minute winner to beat Derby County 2-1 at Kenilworth Road after Jack Marriott had cancelled out Luke Berry's opener for the home side.
In the lunchtime kick-off, Kieffer Moore's first-half brace helped Cardiff City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the City Ground.
The Wales striker nodded home the opener from a corner in the third minute before sliding in a second five minutes before half-time.
It was a third successive defeat in all competitions this season for Forest – all without scoring – to pile more pressure on Sabri Lamouchi, who is now the favourite to become the first Championship manager to lose his job.
Brentford marked its first league game at its new Brentford Community Stadium with a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
Josh Dasilva broke the deadlock in the 58th minute before Marcus Forss and Bryan Mbeumo netted in the closing stages.
Adam Armstrong hit a hat-trick as Blackburn Rovers thrashed 10-man Wycombe Wanderers 5-0 at Ewood Park.
Jed Wallace scored the only goal to help Millwall to a 1-0 victory at Rotherham United while the games between Sheffield Wednesday and Watford and Swansea City and Birmingham City ended goalless.
