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Middlesbrough FC were handed a double defensive boost as Daniel Ayala and Bernardo Espinosa came through their comebacks unscathed tonight.

Both Ayala (knee) and Espinosa (cruciate) missed all of Boro's pre-season campaign through injury, but were given 45 minutes each at the Riverside as the Under-23s kicked off their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Brighton.

During a match devoid of any real quality, the sight of Ayala and Espinosa in action proved the real highlight - and both did not appear to suffer any setback on their first appearances of the season.

But how did Boro's defensive duo get on? Jonathon Taylor runs the rule over the pair.

Daniel Ayala

The 25-year-old's return will provide a timely boost for Aitor Karanka, who has asked right-back Antonio Barragan to hold the fort in Boro's last two matches.

Barragan has done so with great aplomb, but Boro fans will sleep a little easier when Ayala and Gibson are reunited in the heart of the team's defence.

It was a quiet opening spell for Ayala with much of the play taking place in front of him, but the Spaniard did show a couple of neat touches - enough to suggest there's no long-term concern over his niggling ankle injury.

Ayala looked at home alongside Adam Jackson in defence - and although lacking a shade of pace, his positional sense rarely saw him in danger against a one-man Brighton attack.

A couple of wayward passes perhaps highlighted how little football the PFA Fans' Championship Player of the Year has played since Boro's glorious promotion in May.

But he, Karanka and the Boro faithful will be pleased to see him tick off the first stage of his path back to fitness

Will he be ready for Sunderland? Hard to judge on tonight's 45-minute viewing, but I'd suggest it may take a couple of weeks to get him fully back up to speed.

Verdict: Glided through the game and was rarely tested.

Bernardo Espinosa

Within minutes of coming on at half-time, the Colombian centre-back was barking orders to his teammates and seemed happy to be the organiser.

As Brighton poured forward during the early exchanges of the second half, Espinosa made two timely interceptions to break up the play.

He was constantly in the ear of the midfield duo in front of him, and looked like a real presence at the back.

(Image: MFC)

Like Ayala, it was a fairly routine 45 minutes for the former Sporting Gijon defender - but it was one in which he showed plenty of promise.

Espinosa is unlikely to be rushed back into first-team action, given the severity of his past injury, but looked composed and confident during this cameo.

Let's hope we see him making his first-team debut at some point soon.

Verdict: A vocal presence at the back, and made two vital blocks

Who else stood out?

To say it lacked the excitement of the last time Boro hosted Brighton at the Riverside is an understatement.

It was a largely turgid affair as Boro kicked off life in the second tier of the newly-revamped Premier League 2 with a goalless stalemate.

Midfielder Robbie Tinkler came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half as his header was palmed away, while Adam Jackson - who featured heavily during Boro's pre-season campaign - twice came close with headers.

But if Boro's youngsters are looking to follow in the footsteps of Dael Fry and force their foot in Aitor Karanka's first-team door, a vast improvement is needed.

Boro U23 team: Fryer, B Halliday, Jackson, Ayala (Espinosa 46), McGinley, Maloney, Tinkler, Tavernier (Pattison 61), Cooke, Mondal (McAloon 71), Jakupovic.

Subs not used: Pears, Johnson