SZILARD NEMETH, the forgotten man of a momentous Middlesbrough season, gave manager Steve McClaren a timely reminder of his predatory skills at the Riverside Stadium last night.

The Slovakia striker, who wasn't even among the substitutes as Boro lifted the Carling Cup against Bolton ten days ago, came off the bench to score for the second successive game.

Nemeth struck his sixth goal of the season in the 73rd minute after club record £8.15m buy Massimo Maccarone had seen his on-the-hour penalty saved by Kasey Keller.

Spurs disputed referee Mark Halsey's decision when he adjudged that Joseph-Desire Job had been brought down by Dean Richards.

But Maccarone made partial amends with the flick and feint that released Nemeth, who hasn't started a game since January 17, to hold off the shoulder-to-shoulder challenge of Richards, skip round Keller and slot home.

Nemeth had replaced Job, who was guilty of a glaring miss in the 63rd minute when he somehow knocked the ball wide with only Keller to beat after a horrible miskick by Richards.

The win, only Boro's second in their last eight home League games, takes them up two places to 11th, above Bolton on goal difference and level on points with Spurs.

David Pleat's side, who host Newcastle on Sunday and were last night watched by Magpies boss Sir Bobby Robson, ran out of firepower after scoring four goals in each of their previous three games and 15 in four.

McClaren hailed the win as the most important of his side's Premiership campaign.

He said: "I think it's our biggest win in the League so far because this was our game in hand and it didn't look like we'd do it at half-time.

"It dispels any hangover people thought we might have had from the Cup final. I thought we played some great football in the second half and the fans were tremendous.

"Nemeth came off the bench and scored as he always seems to do. After not being involved in the Cup final, his reaction has been fantastic.''

An unhappy Pleat said: "I felt in the first half there was only one side playing cohesive, passing football. I thought the penalty was very harsh. Fortunately Maccarone didn't score, but I felt we could have prevented their goal.''

With the exception of the banned Danny Mills, whose place at right-back went to Andrew Davies, McClaren fielded the side he picked to make history by winning Boro's first major trophy at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

That meant Juninho, Gaizka Mendieta and Doriva were recalled after being rested for the crushing 3-1 defeat at Birmingham three days later.

Juninho looked fresh and when he chased an inviting through-ball in the fifth minute, centre-back Anthony Gardner performed a magnificently-timed tackle from behind to snuff out the chance.

Two minutes later, Davies played his side into trouble with a wayward backheader that fell to Jermain Defoe, who teed himself up for a volley from the 'D' which dipped just over.

Boro responded with a barnstorming run through the middle from Franck Queudrue, who picked out Job on the right. The Cameroon striker brought the ball down beautifully before working himself into a shooting position, but his finish was tame and struck Mauricio Taricco on its way through to Keller at the near post.

Keller was given a more searching test when Boro won a free-kick on the right soon afterwards and Bolo Zenden's bender forced the American to turn the ball around the angle.

When Boro pressed again, Job's effort inside the area was hacked away from in front of goal by the vigilant Gardner.

But it was error-strewn stuff as both sides struggled to find any real rhythm in a scrappy opening period.

Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer had scarcely been troubled until the 36th minute when he pulled off a superlative flying save to tip over Darren Anderton's vicious 25-yard volley on the end of Johnnie Jackson's left-wing corner.

When Spurs' Hartlepool-born midfielder Michael Brown was booked in the closing moments of the half for a crude challenge on Juninho, it summed up the untidy nature of the game.

McClaren knew he needed to change things and went for a bolder approach at the interval, introducing Maccarone in place of midfielder Doriva while also bringing on Stuart Parnaby at the expense of Davies, who had looked uncertain at times.

Maccarone was quickly to the fore, hooking the ball over his head to Juninho, whose shot from the edge of the area was deflected wide.

But Schwarzer had to be alert again in the 54th minute when Brown tried his luck from distance and forced the keeper to save low to his right.

Keller had to do the same, though with greater ease, when Zenden let fly four minutes later with a similarly speculative effort.

Maccarone's spot-kick failure and Job's miss were greeted with disgust by a disbelieving Riverside faithful, who were then relieved to see Richards' header loop over Schwarzer's goal from Anderton's wicked free-kick.

Job's last act was a knockdown for Maccarone that the Italian could only fire across the face of goal from an admittedly tight angle.

McClaren immediately brought on Nemeth in an effort to inject more pace and penetration into his attack - and it paid off.