WHEN Steve McClaren returns to the negotiating table to discuss his new contract later this month, one thing's for sure, he won't be bringing a video of last night's game with him.
Middlesbrough somehow eked out a draw from game that won't live long in anyone's memories - apart from possibly Fulham boss Chris Coleman's.
Coleman's side appeared to have done enough to earn a victory that would almost certainly have guaranteed safety from relegation.
Brian McBride's 82nd minute strike from 15 yards after good work from Tomasz Radzinski had winner written all over it until FA Cup Final referee Rob Styles stepped in.
With full time approaching a long ball forward had Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink bearing in on goal and Fulham keeper Edwin van der Sar bearing down on the Boro striker.
Van der Sar brought down Hasselbank just outside his penalty box. Styles looked for assistance from his assistant but none was forthcoming so he called it himself - wrongly.
A penalty was awarded and Bolo Zenden tucked it away to keep Boro's hopes of a UEFA Cup place intact.
It was harsh on Fulham and skipper Lee Clark had to keep Coleman from confronting Styles at the final whistle.
It was a relief for McClaren who is apparently already planning for next season. A trip is scheduled to the Italian capital to watch central defender Igor Tudor and Boro loan striker Massimo Maccarone in action tonight for Siena against Roma.
There is, apparently, no truth in the rumour McClaren is flying to Rome for an early audience with the new Pope, Benedict XVI.
Divine intervention may not yet be required to get the Teessiders season back on track, but there is a distinct danger of a campaign that promised so much fizzling out.
They are, however, just one point behind seventh-placed Tottenham in the battle for the final UEFA Cup spot.
Anything below that and, despite going into the season as Carling Cup holders and with a UEFA Cup spot, many fans will look on the current campaign as a failure.
The thought of an Intertoto campaign starting in early July will not be received with anything other than a chorus of disapproval.
McClaren went so far as to demand a maximum return from the two homes games against Fulham last night and West Brom on Saturday to keep their hopes of a return to UEFA Cup action next season alive. His programme notes also pleaded with the home fans to be Boro's 12th man.
With Chris Riggott (knee) and Stuart Parnaby (groin) added to the apparent never ending Boro injury list, Colin Cooper and Ugo Ehiogu came into the starting XI along with Zenden who returned in place of Doriva.
Mark Schwarzer's back injury meant Brad Jones continued to deputise in goal.
On the bench Boro boasted three 18-year-olds, goalkeeper David Knight, central defender David Wheater and midfielder Jason Kennedy, along with Andrew Davies recalled from his loan spell with Queens Park Rangers earlier this week.
But it was the returning Ehiogu after a season riddled with injuries who was involved in the first real incident of the night. A strong aerial challenge from the 32-year-old in the fifth minute left Fulham striker Collins John needing treatment.
Three minutes later and fellow Cottagers' striker McBride should have put the visitors ahead but his header from Mark Pembridge's free -kick from the left was just the wrong side of Jones' goal.
The Teessiders were struggling to create any real chances and a hopeful shout for a penalty from Hasselbaink was the best they could muster in the opening quarter hour.
If anything, the next 15 minutes were even worse; the visitors as guilty as their hosts of squandering possession and failing to create any chances worthy of note.
Gareth Southgate was booked for a foul on Luis Boa Morte, and any action was limited to minor squabbles between opposing players.
Just after the half hour Fulham had two excellent chances in succession with firstly Collins firing wide after McBride had headed on a Pembridge free-kick, and then McBride guilty of a glaring miss.
Boa Morte's cross found the American in acres of space and looking very offside six yards out. No flag appeared but McBride headed wide.
The first murmurs of discontent began to surface at that point from the home support who were rightly far from happy with the football being played. The quality was more bottom three than top seven.
McClaren's programme appeal to the fans appeared not to be working and at half-time they made their views clear with a chorus of boos.
Boro fans believing the second half couldn't be any worse had to wait until the final ten minutes for any action.
McClaren switched his midfield around with Stewart Downing playing down the right, Zenden left and Ray Parlour joining George Boateng in the centre.
It could hardly have been described as an unqualified success. The Cottagers continued to press and Southgate took an accidental head in the face from McBride, before the visitors had their best chance of the game in the 55th minute .
Ehiogu was adjudged to have fouled John on the edge of the area and Boa Morte's floated free-kick clipped the top of the bar.
The watching Newcastle manager Graeme Souness will surely have been impressed with the forward he tried to bring to St James' Park in January.
He would not have been impressed with Boro who head up the A19 next week. Immediately after Boa Morte's effort they had two opportunities to get a shot on target and the second summed up their night - Szilard Nemeth completely missing the ball from Zenden's cross in the 57th minute.
The frustrations of the Boro players was beginning to surface and they almost lost their skipper on the hour.
Southgate went through on Radzinski but referee Styles merely warned him that one more and he'd be off.
Chances remained thin on the ground and they were getting thinner. Coleman's side appeared ready to settle for a point but urgency was the order of the day for the home side.
Their best chance fell to Hasselbaink whose flick header in the 77th minute from Zenden's cross was wide of the target.
But just as they were looking for the winner McBride struck at the other end which threatened to severely dent their hopes of finishing in a UEFA Cup spot, before Zenden's last-gasp penalty.
l Sam Allardyce saw his Bolton side squander a host of chances and in the process fail to move into a Champions League spot in the Premiership table.
It had all started so well with Stelios Giannakopoulos making the breakthrough with a brave header.
However, they let Southampton off the hook and Kevin Phillips grabbed the equaliser to take his side out of the relegation zone.
It was little wonder the frustration showed on Bolton manager Allardyce's face at the end.
Giannakopoulos has taken on the goalscoring mantle in recent weeks as Bolton have continued their push for Europe.
He is on a roll at a crucial time of the season for the club - this was the Greece winger's fourth goal in seven league games.
Southampton drew level in the 69th minute when Phillips breached the defence to beat Jaaskelainen from six yards.
Bolton came within a whisker of regaining the lead in the 74th minute through substitute Kevin Davies, who had replaced Nolan.
He send in a superb volley that beat Niemi, only to come back off the inside of the post.
Bolton had the momentum with Okocha twice going close to scoring with instinctive efforts.
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