Goals from Yanic Wildschut and Christian Stuani have given Middlesbrough a comfortable 2-0 lead at the halfway stage of their League Cup first-round tie with Oldham Athletic.
Despite their lower league position it was Oldham who made the brighter start to the match, and they could have been ahead inside five seconds when Lee Croft fired inches over almost straight from kickoff.
However, Boro responded with early chances of their own, Emilio Nsue and Stuani failing to make the most of a couple of openings in quick succession.
The Championship outfit were then handed a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock in the seventh minute when David Cornell brought down Diego Fabbrini inside the box, but the Oldham keeper atoned for his error to deny Adam Clayton from 12 yards.
That did not dampen the frenetic start to the match, however, and both Danny Philliskirk and Jonathan Forte came close within a minute of each other as the hosts went in search of an opener.
The Latics needed Cornell to rescue them again 18 minutes in as he denied Fabbrini when through on goal, but he could do nothing five minutes later as Boro took the lead through Wildschut, who raced on to an Albert Adomah through-ball before sliding the ball under the keeper.
The match soon quietened down, but the visitors ensured that they would go into the break in control by doubling their advantage with just four minutes to go until half time, Stuani nodding Fabbrini's cross past Cornell.
Oldham could not find a response in the closing stages meaning that, despite a number of bright spells, they went into the break with a mountain to climb in the second half.
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