MATTHEW Bates is hoping Sunday's Wear-Tees derby will help re-establish Middlesbrough's reputation as the North-East's cup kings.

Since signing his first professional forms on Teesside eight years ago, Bates has watched Boro lift the Carling Cup as well as appear in a UEFA Cup final and FA Cup semi-final.

In the same period, Newcastle and Sunderland have racked up a single FA Cup semi-final appearance apiece, with neither club coming particularly close to ending their lengthy wait for silverware.

In fairness, all three clubs' recent cup records are wretched, with Boro having won just two knockout matches, against Chesterfield and Shrewsbury, since March 2009.

Sunday's trip to the Stadium of Light offers them an opportunity to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in three seasons, and Bates is hoping the added incentive of a North-East derby will help the Teessiders reclaim their role as the region's leading cup exponents.

"If you look back at the last seven or eight years, there's a real cup pedigree here," said the Boro skipper, who was a substitute when this weekend's opponents last locked horns in January 2009.

"In that time, we were winning the Carling Cup and getting to the UEFA Cup final, nobody else was doing that. That was a massive up, but we've had a bad four years that have brought us back down. And if you look at the last three years or so, we've been really poor in the cups as well.

"At the moment, we have to look at the likes of Sunderland and Newcastle and admire how stable they are in the Premier League, but that's not to say we can't get past them again.

"There's no getting around it - they're the big two in the North-East at the moment and we are third best. But over a period of a decade or so, our cup performances stand up."

Over the last couple of seasons, however, there is no doubt that Boro have been the poor relations in terms of the North-East's big three.

Newcastle's relegation was followed by an automatic return to the Premier League, while Sunderland are now regarded as established top-flight performers despite a recent sticky spell under their previous manager, Steve Bruce.

Boro have struggled to bounce back following 2009's relegation, but after an impressive first half of the season that leaves them fourth in the Championship table, they will go into Sunday's derby in decent shape.

"Apart from the season they had in the Championship, you'd have to say that Newcastle have probably been the main North-East team for a while now, with Sunderland not too far behind," said Bates.

"We're under no illusions. We're definitely going into the game as the outsiders, and I'm sure they'll be wanting to win as much as we are.

"We're going to be underdogs, but that's sometimes not a bad position to be in. We're confident we can spring a bit of a surprise."

They will, however, have to overcome something of a midfield crisis if they are to burst the bubble of a Sunderland side brimming with confidence after winning six of their nine matches under Martin O'Neill.

Julio Arca and Kevin Thomson are suspended following their dismissals at Coventry, while Nicky Bailey and Merouane Zemmama will miss out because of injury.

Tony Mowbray could opt to push Rhys Williams into midfield, but whatever the Boro boss decides, Bates is hoping a plethora of homegrown players will help give his side a derby-day edge.

The 25-year-old is a born-and-bred Boro fan, and having travelled to Wembley to watch the club in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup final, he would have been queuing for tickets for this weekend's game had he not been involved.

The likes of Jason Steele, Joe Bennett and Tony McMahon have also graduated from the club's much-vaunted academy, and with Sunderland not expected to have a single homegrown product in their squad, Boro will certainly boast the advantage of regional pride.

"I think a game like this means a bit more to the local lads," said Bates. "If you take any derby, if you've grown up in that derby atmosphere from being a kid, it can only help on the day of the game.

"It's not the be all and end all. As a professional footballer, you want to win any game, and the people who aren't from the area will still want to win Sunday's game as badly as anyone else.

"But maybe that geographical link gives you a bit of an edge. Looking at the number of lads we have who have come through the Academy, let's hope so."