Tonight’s FA Cup tie was the type of game Middlesbrough used to take for granted.
Even in 1997, the season they first went down from the Premier League, Middlesbrough ended up playing, and losing, the FA Cup Final to Chelsea and a certain Roberto di Matteo.
The Riverside wasn’t always full in the top flight, even the year they reached the UEFA Cup Final. Six very long years ago.
Nowadays Middlesbrough are lucky if their stadium is half-full, or half-empty. Take your pick. Teesside punters have found new ways to spend what little hard-earned cash they have and yet another season in the Championship is far from the top of their priorities.
Until the turn of the year, a return to the Barclays Premier League as one of the two promoted Championship teams looked on. They were second, and within touching distance of leaders Cardiff City.
Since January 1 they have won one in nine and slipped down to seventh out of the play-off places. Cardiff are out of sight, Watford and Hull City, in joint second, are 11 points ahead and, after a win over Blackburn Rovers last night, even Leicester City in fifth are six points adrift with a game in hand.
Deflated: Boro players look disheartened after conceding to Millwall More from Colin Young... Northern Exposure: Sunderland are still a club in transition with Paolo Di Canio ready to instill radical changes 15/05/13 Pardew denies Newcastle rift as Di Canio calls for 'nice' Sunderland to develop an edge... but both are at risk of relegation 03/05/13 Northern Exposure: How long can Di Canio's Sunderland honeymoon last? 23/04/13 NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Paolo and Pardew ride the North-East rollercoaster... but is one of them heading for oblivion? 17/04/13 Northern Exposure: It's nearly time for the Tyne-Wear derby but who are the 22 players that Pardew and Di Canio should select? 10/04/13 Northern Exposure: Sunderland can't sweep this furore under the carpet, it would never have happened under Quinn's watch 03/04/13 Northern Exposure: Newcastle are flying in Europe but the main talking point is Pardew's beard! 14/03/13 Northern Exposure: The Toon Army are set for another long Europa League trip this week... but so are their opposition 05/03/13 VIEW FULL ARCHIVEInjuries since Christmas have hit Boro hard and it is key players who are missing. Jonathan Woodgate makes such a difference to the entire team and inevitably has suffered the kind of month-long troubles which have blighted his career and forced him to spend the latter years back on home turf.
'It is very frustrating for us because he brings an assurance and a confidence to the back line which we are lacking without him,’ said Mowbray.
'He is missed every game he doesn't play. Woody does the basics properly. He is in the right position, he kicks in when he has to kick it, he heads it when he has to head it. He brings it down when he brings it down. He passes it simply. He is always the right side of the striker making good decisions.
'We haven't had him on the pitch this year. Between him, me and the medical staff we have to find a way of keeping him fit more often to play to help us win games. He will be a loss for us against Chelsea.’
Woodgate is not the only absentee for tonight’s meeting with the European champions. Yesterday Mowbray went through the players he expects Rafael Benitez to select tonight – John Terry to start seemed the only definite – and the guessing will only be over when he sees the team sheet handed to him in his office.
Benitez will have had his scouts at Boro’s defeat to Millwall on Saturday when their 500-plus passes surpassed their opponents by more five-to-one, and they still managed to lose 2-1.
But he can’t have a clue about the Boro line-up because Mowbray himself has such limited options, especially with Saturday’s clash at home to Cardiff City in mind, even he can’t be sure who will be fully fit.
A draw would be the worst possible result for both sides. It would impact on Chelsea because of their Europa League commitments, and of course it would put even more pressure on Benitez, if that’s possible.
Missing man: Jonathan Woodgate has missed games through injury this seasonMiddlesbrough have only one real goal and that is promotion. The reward for victory, for both sides, is an unenviable quarter-final visit to Manchester United. That has massive financial benefits to Boro, but realistically not much more and they have little to lose by losing tonight.
The phrase 'nothing to lose' was never more apt and Mowbray knows victory, and a good performance tonight, could ignite his team’s season, as the injuries start to ease and players like captain Rhys Williams find form and fitness.
He said: 'There is an anxiety in the crowd at the moment. We have to find a way to win football matches. That is my job, I'm not finding the answer, the players are not finding the answer.
Feeling the heat: Tony Mowbray shows his frustration on the touchline'This is a one-off game, Chelsea will have more of the ball than we will. Will they get behind us? Will they hurt us? Will they have counter attacks? Will we score when the chances come? Will someone get a head on a corner? I don't know, but we will be doing our best.
'Take for instance Chelsea in those Barcelona games last season. How on earth did Chelsea win? With 10 men against the best team in the world, the best team for decades and still managing to come out on top. They found a way, so can we find a way.
Bolt from the blue: Roberto Di Matteo scored for Chelsea against Middlesbrough in the 1997 FA Cup final'We are all disappointed at the moment but nearly all the team are recovering from injury and are not quite 100 per cent. They are not quite at their maximum. That's me searching for reasons.
'We still pick the same players, but maybe many are not full pelt. You can sometimes carry one or two, but we have had a load like that and it's just not going for us either.
'We keep going and the team is still very focused and positive. As another defeat comes along they have to bounce back again. That's why the Chelsea game was a nice distraction and then we have to get ready for Cardiff.
'We are not in great form, there is no point in denying that but there is a little less pressure on us against Chelsea. If everything is equal they should beat us with the players they have got but with the crowd behind us we will have a real go and yet they are going through a tough period themselves so it will not be easy for them.
'We will try to frustrate Chelsea and try and compete with them, even with the quality they have at their disposal. We want to make it an uncomfortable night for them.
'Old Trafford is next for whoever wins and financially for us that is a huge bonus, also to test ourselves against the best team in the country.’
More... Building bridges: Benitez claims Chelsea players are behind him despite training ground bust-up Middlesbrough 1 Millwall 2: Boro's play-off chances dealt major blow after home defeat Championship trio in race to sign FA Cup's leading scorer and Aldershot star Hylton
