Boro make Hammers pay

Deane celebrates Middlesbrough's opener

Middlesbrough 2-0 West Ham

Middlesbrough achieved their first Premiership win of the season with Brian Deane and Allan Johnston providing the goals against West Ham.

The visitors paid the price for their first-half defensive tactics, including a goalkeeping mistake by Shaka Hislop which allowed Deane to head in after 31 minutes.

Johnston added a second for the home side when he took advantage of another error from manager Glenn Roeder's side.

This time West Ham defender Rigobert Song was at fault and Johnston lobbed over Hislop for his first Middlesbrough goal.

We showed we can play good football for 90 minutes and we got our just reward with the result

Boro boss Steve McClaren

West Ham's record signing Tomas Repka marked his debut for the club by being sent-off for two bookable offences.

The victory should serve to ease some of the pressure on Boro boss Steve McClaren following four consecutive league losses.

These two sides had scored just one Premiership goal apiece prior to the game, which signalled a meeting between two teams low on confidence.

And so it proved for West Ham, who sat back and invited Middlesbrough on to them.

The home fans saw Deane knock a header into the path of Robbie Mustoe but his shot was not struck well enough to trouble visitors keeper Hislop.

Boro captain and former West Ham midfielder Paul Ince then almost made the Hammers pay for their cautious tactics when his 20-yard shot went narrowly high.

Former Hammer Ince set up Boro's first

Middlesbrough were enjoying plenty of possession and they used it to good advantage to deservedly take the lead just after the half-hour mark.

Hislop failed to connect in trying to punch away an Ince cross and Deane was on hand to head into the net.

The second goal soon arrived for McClaren's side and it was another defensive error which was West Ham's undoing.

Song headed into the path of Johnston and the recent new arrival lobbed Hislop for Boro's second.

Striker Jermain Defoe was brought on for West Ham as the visitors finally came out of their shell.

Clearly this was the poorest we have been this season

Hammers boss Glenn Roeder

But Boro could have increased their lead through Deane only for Repka's challenge to deny the striker.

West Ham had given themselves too much to do and, with Paolo di Canio and Frederic Kanoute absent, rarely troubled home keeper Mark Schwarzer.

Repka was then dismissed as Boro went on to win while West Ham were left still searching for their first three points of the season.

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Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Fleming, Southgate, Ehiogu, Cooper, Greening, Ince, Mustoe, Johnston, Windass, Deane. Subs: Nemeth, Wilson, Marinelli, Crossley, Gavin.

West Ham: Hislop, Repka, Winterburn, Song, Schemmel, Hutchison, Dailly, Sinclair, Cole, Carrick, Moncur. Subs: Todorov, Forrest, Soma, Defoe, Byrne.

Referee: M Riley (Leeds)