JONATHAN WOODGATE insists he is fit and ready to give Middlesbrough’s promotion charge a boost after suffering like a frustrated fan during the crushing defeat to Bournemouth.

Woodgate missed out on a third consecutive appearance on Saturday when the Cherries gained the upperhand in the race to the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 win at the Goldsands Stadium.

Boro could have done with the experience a fully-fit Woodgate would have added to the heart of the defence against a rampant Bournemouth side.

But Boro dropped to third, behind Eddie Howe’s team and Watford, while the gap to seventh-place is back down to six points with seven matches remaining.

They face Wigan on Good Friday before travelling to Watford on April 6 when two victories would get the surge for a Premier League return back on track.

Woodgate, with plenty of time to work a toe problem off, is adamant he is ready and available should Aitor Karanka want to call on him again – even though Daniel Ayala should be fit from a thigh problem by then too.

“I keep reading in the papers that I’m injured, but I’m not,” said Woodgate. “I have a broken toe, but I can play with that. I trained on Tuesday morning and while it’s painful, it’s not keeping me out.

“I want to play a part in what could be a great end to this season. The lads were a bit down after what happened at Bournemouth, but on the day we were beaten by a very good team.”

Karanka has regularly suggested in the last few weeks that the 35-year-old will have a crucial part to play before the summer, when the player himself has not ruled out retiring from the game.

But whatever happens, the Teesside-born former Real Madrid centre-half believes Boro have all the ingredients to complete their promotion push.

Woodgate said: “I’ve been in enough squads for enough big games to know what it takes and I like what I see in our dressing room. There could be a great end to what has been a very good season. I want to be involved and I want the fans to be a part of it.”

Boro will find out by Thursday if Brighton want winger Emmanuel Ledesma back for a further spell after a pretty unsuccessful one-month loan.

It has also been suggested that Hartlepool United have expressed an interest in signing forwards Bradley Fewster and Harry Chapman, although the latter is on England Under-18s duty and unlikely to be heading out on loan having just turned 17.

Chapman, who signed a two-and-a-half year professional contract earlier this season, is highly-rated at the Riverside and Karanka is determined to give him the help and guidance required to succeed.

The Seaton Carew youngster, who only left Hartlepool’s Dyke House College in July last year, is at St George’s Park training with Neil Dewsnip’s young England squad ahead of two friendlies with Switzerland tomorrow and Saturday.

Karanka, who has invited the exciting forward to train with the Boro first team on a number of occasions, said: “Harry is a different sort of player and is a real talent. He needs to know how difficult it is to play in the first team squad.

“He is the kind of player who I don’t doubt will play in the first team if he works in the same way and develops in the same way. He is exciting to watch.

“He is also a good example for our academy at Middlesbrough. It is not a problem with his age. He has been 16 and has trained with us. In the beginning he was shy when he was surrounded by the first team players but on the pitch he got on the ball he was soon just one of them.”

Chapman’s first international call-up is a reward for his excellent displays for Boro's Under-18s and Under-21s. His 14 goals and 16 assists were a crucial factor in the Under-18s winning the northern group Premier League title – which includes the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool - by nine points.

He has caught the eye of a number of top clubs and also has one goal and two assists for the Under-21s, but is concentrating on his development at Boro.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me, I have been on stand-by before but to get the call was great,” said Chapman. “It’s already been a great year for me with my pro contract and now this. I just want to keep improving.

“There are a lot of footballers out there who have played for England Under-18s and not done much in football after that, so I know I have to keep working hard all of the time to get better.”