Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Middlesbrough 2

THE significance of Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round victory in the context of Middlesbrough’s season will reveal itself at the end of May.

Marvin Emnes’ late strike ensured that Boro fans must keep May 30 free as the prospect of a debut trip to the new Wembley remains a genuine possibility.

But before then, the Teessiders must ensure they don’t swap divisions with the likes of Mick McCarthy’s Wolves.

And the character that Gareth Southgate’s young, injury- depleted side showed to see off the Championship pace-setters suggested that they are not ready to let slip their ten-year foothold in the top flight.

Boro have been in recession of late after a string of gloomy results. But Southgate believes that, despite seeing Andrew Taylor added to his growing injury list, Saturday’s spirited victory has sown the seeds for his team’s recovery.

“It’s hard. But that’s when you find out about people, when times are hard.

“Everything in life is simple when times are good.

“These are the times when people have to dig in and this group of players did that,” confirmed Southgate, who was forced to field an inexperienced line-up after injuries to key players both before and during the game.

Eleven of Saturday’s squad of 18 progressed through the club’s youth system and the likes of Matthew Bates and Adam Johnson showed sufficient maturity against Wolves to hint that they could prove vital figures over the next four months.

Southgate added: “It was a young team and they’ve responded really well. There is a great spirit in the side.

“We were very young and inexperienced but we’re very short of bodies at this moment in time.

“We’ve lost Andrew Taylor, Gary O’Neil has been booked and will miss the Blackburn game, so it’s not getting any easier.

“I’m pleased that we’ve won a game where most people would have thought we’d get turned over.

“I think we’ve shown a lot of character today in terms of the performance, but also by dealing with three injuries during the g a m e , people h a v - ing to play out of position and coming back when Wolves equalised.”

Bates epitomised the youthful spirit that provided the platform for the likes of Afonso Alves, Tuncay and Stewart Downing to illustrate the class gulf that lies between the bottom of the Premier League and Championship leaders.

With seven minutes remaining and the home side scenting victory, Bates went into a 50-50 challenge with Wolves skipper Karl Henry.

The Academy product – pressed into a central midfield berth – emerged victorious from a crunching but fair tackle.

His game-changing – and possibly season-changing – challenge set up Downing, who fed Emnes to gleefully fire in off the post and clinch the game for the visitors.

Boro travelled to the Black Country with only one win from their last 11 matches – the 2-1 FA Cup win over nonleague Barrow in the previous round.

But they have reached the sixth round in each of the last two seasons and were losing semi-finalists in 2006.

And Southgate hopes that their stirring cup performances can again be the catalyst for boosting flagging league form.

“I think it is important to win because in the last two years we have made the quarter-finals twice, and it has coincided with our league form improving.

“It’s important to take a win into the league games this week but we also wanted to stay in this competition.

When you’ve got a chance to win something then you want to stay in that as long as you possibly can because it gives our fans something to look forward to.”

Boro’s victory should have been wrapped up in the first half when Alves’ sublime flick over Wayne Hennessey gave them a deserved lead after Johnson had spurned giltedged opportunities.

“At least we are creating chances,” said Southgate.

“We had umpteen in the first half and could have been out of sight. There was some really good attacking play from us.

“That will give the lads confidence and, of course, hitting the back of the net is something we have not done often enough of late, but what is pleasing is that we are still creating chances.”

Wolves manager Mick Mc- Carthy defended his decision to make five changes, with promotion his main priority.

The former Sunderland boss started with top-scorer Sylvan Ebanks-Blake on the bench alongside highly-rated winger Michael Kightly.

He said: “We had three strikers on trying to win the game because we didn’t want a replay.

“But it was not to be. We will now play a league game instead of a cup game and that’s it. It’s all about the league now and we are in a good position.”

Southgate’s thin squad must now prepare themselves for a twin assault on cup glory and league survival.