MIDDLESBROUGH will appear in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the sixth time this century when they host Manchester City on Saturday. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson looks back at their most recent five appearances in the last eight of the competition
2009 Everton 2 Middlesbrough 1
Eight seasons ago, Middlesbrough lost in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup before suffering relegation from the Premier League two-and-a-half months later. With the current side sitting in the bottom three in the wake of last weekend’s defeat at Stoke, fans will be hoping history is not about to repeat itself.
Gareth Southgate’s side were in 19th position when they travelled to Goodison Park in 2009, and then, as now, the FA Cup was seen as something of a side-show when posited against the ongoing relegation battle.
Nevertheless, Boro were eyeing a trip to Wembley when a drab first half ended with David Wheater breaking the deadlock a minute before the interval. Matthew Bates swung over a cross, and Wheater rose to nod a close-range header past Tim Howard.
Boro’s lead only lasted five minutes beyond the break, with a misjudgement from Brad Jones enabling Marouane Fellaini to convert Tim Cahill’s cross, and David Moyes’ Everton side claimed a winner six minutes later.
Steven Pienaar crossed from the left, and Louis Saha was completely unmarked as he headed home. Boro won just one of their following nine league games, and were relegated in 19th place.
Middlesbrough: Jones, Hoyte, Huth, Wheater, Pogatetz, O’Neil, Arca, Bates (Johnson 72), Downing, Tuncay, Aliadiere (Emnes 68).
2008 Middlesbrough 0 Cardiff City 2
Of all the disappointments in Gareth Southgate’s unsuccessful spell as Middlesbrough manager, 2008’s FA Cup defeat to Cardiff ranks high among the list of crushing blows.
Playing against struggling Championship opposition, Boro’s players were like rabbits in the headlight as they crashed meekly out of the competition. That Cardiff then went on to beat Barnsley to make the final merely added to the sense of a huge opportunity missed.
Boro were second best throughout, although Cardiff’s opening goal proved hugely controversial. Stephen McPhail appeared to handle the ball as he helped set up Peter Whittingham, but play was waved on and the Bluebirds forward latched on to the ball in the box before curling a fine finish into the top corner.
Worse was to come midway through the first half, with a foul on former Boro striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink enabling Whittingham to curl in a free-kick that was headed home by Roger Johnson.
Boro’s best chance came to nothing when Stewart Downing failed to find the target in the second half, but the Teessiders successfully shrugged off the disappointment of their exit to finish the season in 13th position, with their 8-1 thrashing of Manchester City on the final afternoon representing one of the best moments of the decade.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Young, Wheater, Huth, Pogatetz, O’Neil (Johnson 59), Arca, Rochemback, Downing, Alves (Mido 46), Tuncay.
2007 Middlesbrough 2 Manchester United 2; Manchester United 1 Middlesbrough 0
If Saturday’s game with Manchester City ends in a draw, it will go straight to extra-time and, potentially, penalties. Back in 2007, replays were still in place, and Boro lost out at the second attempt as they attempted to spring a surprise against Manchester United.
The initial game took place at the Riverside, with Boro falling behind when Wayne Rooney drove in following good work from Ryan Giggs. However, Gareth Southgate’s side levelled on the stroke of half-time when Lee Cattermole took advantage of a mistake by United’s stand-in goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
Boro claimed the lead a minute after the break as George Boateng headed home Stewart Downing’s corner, but Boateng’s day took a turn for the worse midway through the second half as his handball enabled Cristiano Ronaldo to secure a replay from the spot.
The return game at Old Trafford was a much more cautious affair, with Mark Schwarzer keeping Boro on level terms with two fine saves from Wayne Rooney.
However, Jonathan Woodgate chopped down Ronaldo in the area with 14 minutes left, enabling the Portuguese winger to fire home the winner from the spot. Manchester United went on to lose to Chelsea in the Cup final, with Boro finishing the campaign in 12th position.
Middlesbrough (in replay): Schwarzer, Xavier, Woodgate, Pogatetz, Taylor (Huth 88), Cattermole (Morrison 62), Boateng, Arca (Rochemback 69), Downing, Yakubu, Viduka.
2006 Charlton 0 Middlesbrough 0; Middlesbrough 4 Charlton 2
Back in 2006, Boro were heading to The Valley to embark on what would eventually be a run of four successive FA Cup quarter-final appearances in successive seasons. They needed two games to get past Charlton, and their subsequent outing in the semi-final remains the last time they made the last four.
Their initial quarter-final 11 years ago was a dull, unremarkable affair that finished goalless. Ayegbeni Yakubu wasted Boro’s best opening as he headed over in the first half, while Mark Schwarzer twice denied Hermann Hrediarsson to secure a replay at the Riverside.
That proved a much more open encounter, with Steve McClaren’s Boro side scoring four goals to progress. The Teessiders claimed the lead through Fabio Rochemback’s 30-yard free-kick, but were pegged back when Bryan Hughes equalised.
James Morrison and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink put Boro two ahead, and while Gareth Southgate’s own goals set nerves jangling, Mark Viduka made things safe with 14 minutes left to book a semi-final appearance against West Ham.
That game at Villa Park came between Boro’s two UEFA Cup semi-final matches with Steaua Bucharest, and saw McClaren’s side lose out to a second-half goal from Marlon Harewood.
Middlesbrough (in replay): Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Southgate, Taylor, Morrison, Boateng, Rochemback, Downing, Viduka, Hasselbaink (Ehiogu 80).
2002 Middlesbrough 3 Everton 0
Steve McClaren’s Boro side cruised into the last four of the FA Cup 15 years ago as they proved much too good for an Everton team that were struggling badly under Walter Smith.
A fairly sterile encounter exploded into life as Boro scored three goals in the space of seven minutes before the interval, with the flurry of action settling things as the Teessiders eyed a trip to Cardiff with Wembley being redeveloped.
Noel Whelan opened the scoring ten minutes before the break, taking advantage of a dreadful mix-up between Alessandro Pistone and Steve Simonsen to slot home.
Szilard Nemeth doubled Boro’s lead two minutes later, heading home after Alen Boskic’s effort had hit the crossbar, and the Teessiders booked a semi-final spot for only the second time in their history when Paul Ince pounced after Simonsen had saved from Boksic.
Boro took on Arsenal in the semi-finals at Old Trafford, and suffered disappointment as Gianluca Festa’s first-half own goal condemned them to a 1-0 defeat.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Festa, Southgate, Queudrue, Stockdale, Ince, Greening, Mustoe, Boksic (Debeve 73), Nemeth (Marinelli 84), Whelan (Windass 87).
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