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Middlesbrough 1 Derby 0

"It probably wasn't the best decision to bring an Egyptian on in the middle of a snowstorm," said the Boro boss. Having watched the opening 65 minutes of a thoroughly forgettable game from the sanctity of the substitutes' bench, Mohamed Shawky was no doubt thinking exactly the same thing.

"Cold, wet and miserable", was how Southgate went on to describe the afternoon, and while he was primarily describing the atmospheric conditions at the Riverside, he could also have been talking about what had occurred on the pitch.

The bad news for 900 Middlesbrough fans was that overnight storms had rendered their South Stand seats unsafe ahead of Saturday's fixture. The really bad news was that the club successfully relocated them anyway.

But if entertainment was undoubtedly at a premium, you will be hard pushed to find too many Middlesbrough supporters willing to quibble with the importance of the result. Having completed a double over a desperate Derby side that now look certain to break Sunderland's record for the lowest points total in a Premier League season, Boro have gone a long way towards securing their top-flight status for another 12 months.

TUNCAY Sanli clearly enjoys playing against Derby. The Turkey international scored the only goal of the game when Middlesbrough travelled to Pride Park last December, and duly repeated the feat at the Riverside this afternoon. His precise first-half strike was enough to see off a dreadfully limited Derby outfit that look destined to break Sunderland's record for the lowest Premier League points haul in a season. And, just as significantly, his sixth goal of the season also eased Middlesbrough's relegation fears. With just seven more games to play, Boro are surely just one more win away from safety. One goal always looked like being enough to decide a game that was low on quality throughout, and so it proved as Derby lacked the nous to break down a well-organised Boro rearguard. David Wheater displayed the form that has earned him a maiden call-up to the England squad, and Emmanuel Pogatetz slotted in at centre-half to replace the injured Robert Huth with the minimum of fuss. Boro were less impressive at the other end of the field, although Roy Carroll made two decent saves to thwart first George Boateng and then Jeremie Aliadiere. Lee Cattermole impressed at the heart of midfield, but too many of Middlesbrough's passes went astray and Stewart Downing suffered one of those games went little went right. Thanks to Tuncay, however, the three points still went the home side's way.

Bolton's failure to beat Manchester City means Middlesbrough have pulled eight points clear of the relegation zone with just seven matches to play. Given that the Trotters still have to face Arsenal and Chelsea this season, it is not too fanciful to suggest that one more win might be sufficient to guarantee more Premier League matches next season.

It is only to be hoped that they are of a superior quality to this one.

"If you look at some of the other results, you can see this has been a big step forward for us,"

said stand-in skipper Emanuel Pogatetz, whose centre-half display in place of the injured Robert Huth was a major factor in Boro's victory. "We know there are still more games to play and we're not safe yet, but this has put us into a great position.

"If we continue to win games like this, we will put ourselves in a position where the other teams can't catch us. There are two leagues this season and we're playing in the second one, but at the moment we're on top of it.

"If we keep this form, there's no doubt we'll be safe. We have an extra bit of quality compared to some of the other teams at the bottom."

That "extra bit of quality" was the decisive factor against Derby, with Middlesbrough's first-half performance reaching a sufficient enough standard to warrant all three points.

With Lee Cattermole impressing at the heart of midfield in only his second league start since mid-November, and Tuncay Sanli and Jeremie Aliadiere's movement repeatedly unsettling a docile Derby defence, the Teessiders carved out three presentable opportunities in the opening 32 minutes.

Derby goalkeeper Roy Carroll thwarted the first, turning Tuncay's header around the post, and Cattermole wasted the second by side-footing wide from the edge of the penalty area, but the third paid dividends.

George Boateng shuffled the ball inside from the left touchline and, after coolly dribbling across the face of the 18-yard box, Tuncay drilled a precise low finish into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

It wasn't quite as eye-catching as the impudent volley that settled December's game at Pride Park but, by the final whistle, it had had exactly the same effect.

"It was an excellent finish,"

said Southgate. "And it should have allowed us to kick on. Had we got a second, with the position they're in, I think we would have gone on to win it fairly comfortably.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen."

Middlesbrough had chances to increase their lead, but Carroll made a fantastic fullstretch save to turn Boateng's half-volley over the crossbar and blocked Aliadiere's fierce low strike with his foot.

So instead of cruising to the finishing line against a Derby side that have scored just six league goals on their travels all season, an increasingly nervous Boro did their best to throw at least two points away.

Shawky's introduction unbalanced the midfield - Boateng was forced to slot in at right-back to cover for the injured Luke Young - and with neither Tuncay nor Aliadiere holding the ball up in attack, Derby's midfielders received an invitation to attack the Teessiders' back four. With Wheater and Pogatetz increasingly decamped on their own 18- yard box, it was one they accepted with relish.

"We've got to be better than we were in the second half," said Southgate. "We've got to be bolder and be prepared to attack more because, at the moment, we're staying in our shell because of the importance of the points.

"It's happened in three games that have been crucial to us now (Derby, Wigan and Fulham) and I'm sick of looking at the goal to my right and thinking that time is standing still as the ball looks as though it's going to go into our net. We have to be braver and mentally tougher in the way we finish games."

That Boro's anxiety went unpunished on Saturday was mainly down to the profligacy of Robert Earnshaw. Presented with a golden 85thminute opportunity from eight yards out, the Wales international directed a limp header wide of the left-hand upright.

It was a dreadful miss to complete a largely dreadful game, but as the snow continued to swirl around a freezing Riverside, it was also a moment to warm Middlesbrough hearts.

Watch the match highlights from Monday, March 24th

5:06pm Saturday 22nd March 2008

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