GARETH Southgate has taken his Middlesbrough squad on a two-day team-building session in the Lake District in an attempt to re-focus minds ahead of Sunday's crunch Premier League clash at Bolton.

More than a dozen members of Boro's senior squad will take part in climbing and mountain biking sessions before returning to Teesside to step up their preparations for a game that could prove pivotal to the rest of the campaign.

Win at the Reebok Stadium, and the Teessiders could move four points clear of the drop zone. Lose, on the other hand, and Boro could find themselves in a relegation place for the first time this season.

The pressure could hardly be more intense.

But Southgate has attempted to reduce some of the tension by organising the kind of bonding session that has proved so valuable to Sunderland's players in the last 12 months.

Black Cats boss Roy Keane has sent his squad paintballing, white-water rafting and mountain climbing since taking over at the Stadium of Light.

Only last week, Sunderland's players took time out from their training to compete in a go-karting competition at Durham.

This is the first time Southgate has arranged something similar, but the Middlesbrough manager has previously described his side's togetherness as one of its key strengths this season.

Unfortunately, that togetherness has had to be tempered somewhat this week, with four key members of the Boro squad remaining on Teesside while their team-mates experience life in the Lakes.

Robert Huth and Emanuel Pogatetz stepped up their respective recoveries with outings for the reserves last night, while Jonathan Woodgate and Mido continue to spend the majority of their time on the treatment table.

Woodgate is nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out of last weekend's 1-1 draw with Tottenham, but while he continues to receive treatment, Southgate is confident the England international will be fit to face Bolton this weekend.

"It's not a major concern and I would think he would be available to face Bolton," said the Boro boss.

"It was disappointing to be without him, but we are getting used to those kind of injury disappointments."

The prognosis regarding Mido is not quite so positive, however, and the striker is unlikely to be involved at the Reebok Stadium.

Mido returned to his native Egypt last week to receive treatment on a groin injury that has hampered him throughout his Boro career. He has subsequently returned to England, but the problem continues to restrict his movement.

Despite missing almost all of pre-season, the former Tottenham striker played in six successive matches after moving from White Hart Lane, and Southgate admits his heavy early work-load is now taking its toll.

"I would have thought that Mido would be unlikely (for the Bolton game)," he said.

"We are hoping the injury will have settled by the weekend and there is a temptation to throw him in, but we have to be sensible.

"We have kept on doing that over the last few weeks, and none of us have benefited from it. It is important to get him up to full speed and get what will be like a new signing into the fray."

Pogatetz and Huth moved closer to a first-team return last night as Boro reserves slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester United.

Huth was substituted after an hour at the Riverside while Pogatetz, who could yet be involved in this weekend's Premier League game at Bolton, played for the full 90 minutes.

Teenage striker Ben Hutchinson gave Boro's second-string the lead in the 63rd minute, firing a fierce volley into the top corner after good approach play from Graeme Owens.

But Manchester United levelled shortly afterwards when Febian Brandy delivered a cross-shot that evaded Boro goalkeeper Ross Turnbull.

The hosts went close to winning the game through Hutchinson and Tom Craddock, but United claimed all three points when the covering Jonathan Grounds hauled down Dong Fangzhuo in stoppage time.

Grounds was sent off for a professional foul, and Dong inflicted more punishment with a free-kick that deflected off Gaizka Mendieta and left Turnbull helpless.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Turnbull, McMahon, Huth (J Johnson 60), Pogatetz, Grounds, Hines, Mendieta, Williams (Walker 82), Owens (Bennett 75), Craddock, Hutchinson.