MARK Viduka has always claimed he gets a special thrill out of European football and, at the moment, it is just as well. If it wasn't for the UEFA Cup, the Middlesbrough striker wouldn't be getting any football at all.

While Yakubu and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink were tearing Manchester United apart at the weekend, Viduka cut a disconsolate figure in his increasingly familiar place on the Boro bench.

Despite making his third European appearance of the season against Dnipro last night, it is now almost six weeks since the Australian started a Premiership fixture.

Given the ease with which Yakubu and Hasselbaink combined at the weekend, it could well be as long again before Viduka ends that run.

The 29-year-old has been cast as the odd one out in Boro's three-man attack. A capable understudy, but not someone to be trusted in the main production.

For a player who has always prided himself on the significance of his contributions, such a peripheral role is proving difficult to accept.

Last night's UEFA Cup group-stage game was Viduka's latest audition in front of Steve McClaren and, after fluffing his lines before the break, his second-half performance ensured he finished with a starring part.

Spending most of a fun-free first half with his back to goal, the former Celtic and Leeds striker struggled to make any impression against a predictably resolute five-man defence.

Never the most mobile of frontmen, his lack of movement was particularly problematic given the Ukrainians' refusal to take any risks.

Dnipro skipper Andriy Rusol never looked like leaving his side - Viduka rarely looked like breaking into a sweat in an attempt to evade him.

The result was a thoroughly uninspiring stalemate, with the bulk of Boro's attacking foundering in the final third and the home side's most dangerous moves emanating from the much-improved Gaizka Mendieta.

Indeed, the quality of Boro's opener, with Mendieta and Yakubu combining to devastating effect in the Dnipro penalty area, underlined just how peripheral a presence the Aussie had become by the latter stages of the first half.

That all changed within five minutes of the restart. Viduka's greatest strengths have always been his physical presence and flashing finish, and both were in evidence as he made it 2-0.

Rolling Bohdan Shershun with something akin to disdain, the stocky striker took aim before thrashing an unstoppable 20-yard drive past Artem Kusliy. Even McClaren paused to catch breath.

Viduka's predatory instincts also remain well honed and, as opposition heads began to drop, he was in the right place five minutes later. James Morrison's shot was parried by Kusliy and Viduka rolled the rebound home.

Only the outside of the post prevented him rounding off a quick-fire hat-trick on the hour mark but, while his improvised half-volley narrowly missed the target, it added further weight to his appeal for more action.

Perhaps by resting him for the final half-an-hour, McClaren was telling him that the message had been received.

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