Turkish striker Tuncay Sanli made Middlesbrough’s day with the solitary goal in the home side’s defeat of Premier League basement dwellers Derby on Saturday.

The win eased Boro’s relegation fears - they’re now sitting 12th on 34 points, and left Derby rooted at the bottom of the table with just 10 points from their 31 games played.

Boro almost took the lead in the seventh minute through defender David Wheater, whose performances this season earned him a call-up to Fabio Cappello’s England squad earlier this week. Tuncay directed a header from a corner to the feet of Wheater whose attempt to turn it in was thwarted by an alert Roy Carroll in the Derby goal.

With Derby under the cosh in the early exchanges, Carroll produced a great save to block Tuncay from close range, although the Turk was called back for offside. Derby handed a rare start to Welsh striker Robert Earnshaw, who lined up alongside Kenny Miller, but the pair were largely redundant as the Premier League strugglers with only one win to their name this season failed to mount any sustainable attacks.

Boro finally took a deserved lead after 32 minutes, Tuncay picking up a neat through ball from George Boateng, cutting in from the left unchallenged and driving a shot past Carroll for his sixth goal of the season.

Tuncay was a threat immediately into the second-half, the excellent Carroll saving with his feet after the striker found some space in the box. The Northern Irish goalkeeper then made a stunning one-handed save from a 30-metre Boateng half-volley that dipped in the air and was also on hand to deny Jeremie Aliadere on two occasions.

Derby began to commit more people to the attack as the game faded away from them, and Earnshaw missed a glorious chance to draw the scores level with five minutes of the game remaining, heading an Andy Todd cross wide from five yards out.

Miller then hit a tame shot straight at Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer, summing up Derby’s toothless attack.