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Marcus Bettinelli picks his favourite Middlesbrough game and save
Marcus Bettinelli has had an up and down spell at Middlesbrough but has been in fine form of late
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Marcus Bettinelli picks his favourite Middlesbrough game and save, and talks football with no fans
Marcus Bettinelli has had an up and down spell at Middlesbrough but has been in fine form of late.Marcus Bettinelli admits fans are a big miss this season - which goes someway to explaining why the Bournemouth game early in the season is his favourite in a Boro shirt.
On loan from Fulham for the season, Bettinelli has established himself comfortably as Neil Warnock's number one this term, playing every league game so far.
There have been the odd shaky moment but in recent weeks the 28-year-old has been in fine form for the Boro, making some excellent stops in the last three games in particular.
However, when reflecting on his time at the club, his home debut against Bournemouth will stand out because of the strange circumstances of the season.
The coronavirus pandemic has meant almost all games this term have been played behind closed doors with no fans, though that early clash with the Cherries saw Boro take part in a test event for fans' safe return, with 1,000 getting to attend as Boro drew 1-1 with the recently-relegated side.
A combination of a good result, the fans in the stadium and his best save in a Boro shirt make it a particularly memorable day for him.
Bettinelli told the Boro matchday programme: "It wasn't a packed out Riverside but it was nice to play my first Boro home game in front of 1,000 fans - and it definitely sounded like more.
"We've missed the fans so much this season.
"This was actually a good result against Bournemouth and, in fact, we could have won.
"Given how the season has been, it's definitely a game I'll look back on fondly in years to come.
"I made a save from David Brooks and that was probably my best in a Boro shirt. When it's behind closed doors, sometimes you make a save and it feels a bit like it's in training - you don't really get the buzz as much.
"So it was nice to have the crowd in for this one, even if it was a shame it was just for the one game in the end.
"I've played at the Riverside before, but it's very different to doing it in front of a home crowd."
Bettinelli could yet experience a packed out Riverside yet.
Although fans won't return this season, the club are hopeful that they'll be back for the start of next and Bettinelli could yet be too. He's out of contract at Fulham this summer and may join the Boro permanently.
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Best goalie?
Could be anyone - Brad Jones [?!!] for example.
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