All Hands On Deck ... But Boro Do The Job!

Last updated : 15 December 2008 By Boro Mad

Skipper Emanuel Pogatetz switched to left-back, injury victims Robert Huth and Chris Riggott slotted into the centre and Tony McMahon made a rare start on the right.

Gareth Southgate: "I think on Tuesday we had about six first teamers training. It's been an incredible week, really, for dealing with setbacks but I think the performance of the back four in particular, given the circumstances surrounding all of them playing, was phenomenal.

"I thought there were some really good individual performances throughout the team, I thought Didier Digard was excellent, Jeremie Aliadiere up front on his own did exactly what we wanted and was really good value for the goal.

"But the back four, when you consider Huth's had seven weeks with no training and no reserve game to come back into it, Riggott didn't train until Thursday after being out for three weeks; Tony McMahon, it's two years since he's played for us, and Pogatetz is playing with injections in his shoulder; the commitment of those four and the quality of those performances against a side of that calibre was outstanding."