Barnsley 0 Middlesbrough 4

MIDDLESBROUGH manager Aitor Karanka believes his side are showing signs of being ready for the season ahead after second-half doubles for both Kike and the excellent Albert Adomah saw off League One Barnsley.

Middlesbrough were the better side throughout in a game with only one downside: the departure of defender Ben Gibson with an injury midway through the first half.

And despite that one blemish on an otherwise successful night, Karanka insisted he never panicked despite going into half-time locked in a stalemate.

“I said at half-time that we were doing a very good job, because we didn’t score goals but we played with a very good intensity and a very good tempo,” he said.

“I said that if we played with that attitude second half we’d score goals because the other team would get disorganised and tired, and it was easy for us.

“The only bad thing was Gibbo’s injury. I’ll need to speak more with him and with the doctors and hope it’s not too much.”

New signing Diego Fabbrini almost off to a scoring start to his time at Boro, putting an effort wide from the edge of the box.

Adomah had the ball in the net eight minutes later, but he knew even as he tucked away the rebound from Kike’s saved attempt that the linesman’s flag was up.

There was a minor flashpoint ten minutes later after Fabbrini and Barnsley midfielder Ben Pearson exchanged some petulant challenges and pushes, leading to both men being booked.

However, Kike found the bottom corner less than 90 seconds into the second half, which proved a sign of things to come.

Adomah doubled the lead at the second time of asking moments later after his first shot off Kike’s cutback was parried away by Tykes keeper Christian Dibble.

The hosts offered their first real threat on 59 minutes when Marley Watkins played in Scowen, but his shot was easily saved low by Tomas Mejias.

Adomah made it 3-0 on 65 minutes with an excellent bottom-corner strike, just moments after Dibble had to save from impressive substitute Adam Reach.

Reach had played the final ball for that Adomah goal and did likewise for Kike on 73 minutes as Boro moved four ahead.

And it could have been three assists had Dibble not pulled off a great stop to deny Adomah a hat-trick.

Getafe’s visit to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday is the only game left before Boro get the new Championship season underway against newly promoted Preston on Sunday August 9.

And Karanka will want to see more of that four-goal second half performance, having seen his side play three halves without scoring, including Saturday’s goalless draw with Doncaster.

He added: “For strikers it’s always important to score goals and especially for Kike, who hadn’t scored this pre-season.

“For him, now he’s going to be more confident, especially playing against a Spanish team, so for him it’s better, and for Albert as well. We need everyone scoring goals because we had problem last season.

“Getafe is going to be a good test for us, but we need to remember that the main thing is the ninth.”

Barnsley: (4-3-3): Dibble, Bree (Roberts 45), Mawson (Wardle 87), Nyatanga (Holgate 45), Smith, Scowen, Pearson, Rothwell, Watkins, Wilkinson (Jackson 66), Phenix (Maris 57). Sub (not used): Walton

Middlesbrough: (4-4-1-1): Mejias, Nsue, Fry, Gibson (Jackson 27), Husband, Adomah, Maloney, Clayton (Forshaw 76), Wildschutt, Fabbrini (Reach 61), Kike (Carayol 76). Subs (not used): Konstantopoulos, Ripley, Ayala, Leadbitter, Tomlin, Kalas, Friend