Bristol City 2-1 Middlesbrough
Adam Baker reports from Ashton Gate

Nicky Maynard's fourth and fifth goal of the season bagged City a much-needed 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at Ashton Gate.

The striker opened the scoring with a stunning goal on 63 minutes, only for Adam Johnson to reply from the penalty spot.

However, Maynard struck again at the death with a confident finish for all three points.

Lita had the first chance of the game for Boro after only seven minutes as he skipped beyond Jamie McCombe along the bye-line before finding Dean Gerken's gloves with an acute-angled shot.

Leroy Lita enjoyed another fruitless return to Ashton Gate

At the other end Jonathon Grounds' last-ditch tackle denied McCombe a chance from six yards and then Nicky Maynard volleyed a shot over the top.

A quick break from Middlesbrough saw Adam Johnson advance beyond the City defence down the right-hand side but he opted to shoot early and Gerken made a comfortable stop.

Haynes was afforded a similar chance at the other end when Grounds slipped 30 yards from goal. Instead of taking on David Wheater, Haynes also opted for an early snapshot along the ground which fizzed wide of the far upright.

Louis Carey found himself in the wars with two stitches

A flicked shot from Lita forced Gerken into another save as the half wore on, and then a minute before half-time Boro came closer still.

Adam Johnson's floated free kick into the box picked out an unmarked Wheater and his header looped back across goal before bouncing over the top off the crossbar.

Louis Carey directed a header straight at Danny Coyne from Paul Hartley's free kick soon after half-time, but suffered a cut along his eyebrow in doing so.

City survived the four minutes their captain was off the field for stitches, and also swapped John Akinde for Haynes in the meantime.

Nicky Maynard cracks in the winning goal late in the game

The game badly needed a goal and it duly arrived on 63 minutes. Hartley's ball forward found Maynard in space and City's leading scorer shrugged off Grounds before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Boro didn't seem to be able to muster a reply until - out of nothing - substitute Jeremie Aliadiere's cross struck the arm of Carey and referee Russell Booth belatedly pointed to the spot with ten minutes left.

Johnson remained cool from 12 yards, chipping the ball down the middle from the resultant penalty kick to equalise as Gerken dived away to his left.

But as the game looked to be heading for a score draw, Maynard latched on to Hartley's throughpass and lashed a superb shot into the bottom corner to send Ashton Gate delirious.