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Middlesbrough finished their pre-season campaign with a promising display against French top flight opposition.

New signings Marcus Browne and Marc Bola both caught the eye on debut while the 4-3-3 formation looked fluid and effective at both ends of the pitch.

With further signings expected in the coming days, there are genuine reasons for optimism going into the imminent Championship season.

A debut for Browne

Woodgate named new signing Browne in his starting XI for the friendly with Saint Etienne while another new arrival, Bola, was included on an 11-man bench.

Browne signed for Boro from West Ham on Friday and made his name at Oxford as a left-sided attacking midfielder.

Missing from the Middlesbrough bench were George Friend, who’s virtually match fit but sat the game out as a precaution, and Darren Randolph, who’s still recovering from the calf injury he suffered at Gateshead. Rudy Gestede was also missing from the matchday 22.

Woodgate stuck with his preferred 4-3-3 formation and the back four was, from right-to-left, Jonny Howson, Dani Ayala, Ryan Shotton and Hayden Coulson.

Browne was one of three attacking midfielders named in the starting XI who can occupy a wide area along with Marvin Johnson and Marcus Tavernier.

Woodgate opted to play Browne on the left side of the attacking trio and Johnson on the right with Britt Assombalonga in the middle.

Behind those three Adam Clayton played a holding role in central midfield with George Saville on the left and Tavernier on the right.

A bright start for Boro and Browne

Ayala led the Boro players out of the tunnel to loud cheers and applause from the West Stand, which was the only area of the stadium open for the friendly.

The hosts made a bright start with Browne instantly looking at home alongside his new team-mates.

He won a free-kick on the edge of the Saint Etienne box in the fourth minute and he took the set-piece himself, curling a decent effort over the bar with his right foot.

The French side looked dangerous on the break and Zaydou Youssouf should have done better with a good shooting opportunity in the seventh minute but blasted a wild effort off target.

Coulson likes to get forward from left-back and he found himself in possession in space outside the Saint Etienne box but in the 10th minute his attempted in-swinger flew wide of the keeper’s left-hand post.

Ten minutes later the young defender was tripped as he ran towards the opposition penalty area and the referee awarded a free-kick.

Assombalonga took it, floating a superb effort over the wall but the keeper tipped the ball over at full-stretch.

Boro were enjoying the lion’s share of possession and Browne failed to keep a long-distance effort on-target in the 23rd minute.

Then Saville powered up-field from halfway with the ball at his feet but with Browne waiting for a pass to his left the midfielder lashed a wild shot into the empty South Stand.

Johnson has featured heavily in pre-season and showed neat footwork on the right side of the box in just after the half-hour mark, cutting onto his left boot before firing over the bar from a tight angle.

Saint Etienne had rarely threatened but they went close to taking the lead in the 37th minute.

The chance stemmed from a free-kick conceded by Howson, who needlessly chopped his opponent down near the touchline on the Boro right.

The ball was delivered deep into the penalty area where Wesley Fofana directed a powerful header onto Tomas Mejias’s crossbar.

Two minutes later, Asssombalonga cut a low pass back into the path of Saville who side-footed a weak shot wide of the keeper’s left-hand post.

A second Boro player makes his debut

Woodgate made two changes at half-time, sending on keeper Aynsley Pears for Mejias and Bola, who’s capture from Blackpool was conformed just a couple of hours before kick-off, for Johnson.

That outfield switch necessitated a slight change of personnel with Bola slotting in at left-back, Coulson moving forward to the left side of the attacking trio and Browne switching flanks.

Four minutes after the re-start Assombalonga went down inside the penalty area following a challenge from behind but the referee ignored his appeals for a spot-kick.

Then, a minute later, the Boro striker had a low shot from 15 yards out saved by the Saint Etienne keeper.

The visitors then broke down the left but Harold Moukoudi’s shot from a tight angle hit the side netting.

Ten minutes into the half Browne continued to catch the eye on debut by drilling a low shot across the face of the opposition goal from the right side of the box.

A goal at each end

Woodgate made another couple of changes on the hour mark, sending on Lewis Wing and Paddy McNair for Coulson and Browne, who both did enough to warrant a start against Luton on Friday.

Wing was asked to play on the left of the attacking trio with Tavernier moving forward to the right allowing McNair to replace him in midfield.

There was a controversial incident in the 66th minute when Shotton was adjudged to have fouled sub Lois Diony near the deadball line inside the Boro box.

Following a delay for treatment, Bouanga took the penalty, sending Pears the wrong way with a cool conversion.

Boro soon hit back, though, with Wing belting a low free-kick from just outside the Saint Etienne box wide of the keeper’s right hand and into the net in the 70th minute.

Keeper Stephane Ruffier then made two instinctive stops in the 76th minute to deny first Assombalonga and then McNair in a goalmouth scramble.

Two minutes later Woodgate sent on Djed Spence for Assombalonga.

Spence went to right-back allowing Howson to move into midfield and Tavernier took over in attack.

One of Spence’s first touches almost led to a goal. His poor headed clearance fell to Romain Hamouma, who’s shot was well saved by Pears.

From the resulting corner Clayton cleared Bougana’s glancing header off the line with his own head.

Boro finished strongly with Wing forcing a fine save out of the Saint Etienne keeper in the 84th minute and Saville hooking wide after more good work from the impressive Wing five minutes later.

Middlesbrough (4-3-3): Mejias (Pears 46); Howson, Ayala, Shotton, Coulson (Wing 60); Saville, Clayton, Tavernier; Johnson (Bola 46), Assombalonga (Spence 78), Browne (McNair 60)

Saint Etienne: Ruffier, Moukoudi, Debuchy, Fofana, Nordin, M'Vila, Palencia, Youssouf, Bouanga, Roudebouz, Beric