Parlour's dismissal adds insult to injury for Boro

What the latest standings showed was that the three points picked up at the Riverside Stadium had preserved Boro's slender grip on sixth spot - but only just.

Bolton's resurgence and Middlesbrough's stuttering form, brought about by a growing list of absentees, has tightened things up in the race for Europe and with the two clubs going head to head at the Reebok this Saturday those below them will have an opportunity to close the gap themselves.

McClaren's men are eight points adrift of a Champions League place, something now being mooted on Teesside, but having to wait until February 5 for the club's first league win in 2005 has given the likes of Tottenham, Charlton and Bolton every encouragement that they can be knocked out of the UEFA Cup spots.

That was why the manager's post-match synopsis of Saturday's success over Blackburn consisted of 'let's celebrate this victory and take it into the next game . . . although we had better have a body count first'.

As, for Middlesbrough's biggest game of the year so far at Bolton, McClaren is having to seriously consider his options after Ray Parlour was stupidly red carded on Saturday.

That incident in particular was a severe case of adding insult to injury, quite literally. With George Boateng and Gaizka Mendieta already missing the last thing McClaren could have done with was suspensions.

Now he has two.

Both Parlour and Zenden serve one match bans against the Trotters and options are limited for Middlesbrough who will be keeping everything crossed that all those on international duty before Saturday return in a healthy state.

Their defence has already had to have a quick-fix job done on it, with full-back Michael Reiziger asked to play in the middle in recent weeks and now the midfield looks as if it is set for a similar touch.

But at least against Blackburn - a side failing to score for the third successive game - Middlesbrough's makeshift backline did stand firm to keep a clean sheet for the first time since Norwich arrived in the North-East on December 28.

Ironically, bearing in mind how frail defensively Middlesbrough have been in recent weeks, it was defender Franck Queudrue who turned match-winner at the other end when he scored the only goal of the game ten minutes before half-time.

England prospect Stewart Downing had already cut inside from the left on two occassions, only to be denied the opening goal by Brad Friedel's hands and a post, before full-back Queudrue showed how it should be done.

The left-footed Frenchman was fed the ball by Downing before turning inside Aaron Mokoena and placing a delightful shot into Friedel's bottom left corner with his weaker boot.

In the tunnel afterwards Queudrue, who impressed during a trial at Ewood Park before moving to Middlesbrough four years ago, took time out to talk his goalkeeping friend through it after the match.

He then took great pleasure in explaining his third goal in as many games to the waiting press. "When I was there, their players were really nice to me, especially Brad and Lucas Neill," said Queudrue.

"I spent a week there. I didn't go there because there was a problem over money so I came here. I was just saying that it's twice I've scored with my right foot this season.

"Stewart gave me a good ball and I didn't need to change my stride, that makes a difference. I was going to put the ball across the goal but there were too many bodies in there so I took my chance with a shot.

"Stewart had just hit the post, but it was different for me because no-one expected me to shoot. Me a defender? Nobody expected me to dribble into the box, they expected me to cross so I surprised everybody.

"I've now got four goals and four assists. I need a combined total of 12 to win a bottle of champagne if I'm going to win my bet with (coach) Steve Harrison."

Middlesbrough could have been two up before half-time but teenager James Morrison chose to go it alone after being put through by Joseph Job when Malcolm Christie was stood unmarked in front of goal.

Blackburn's toothless attacking display meant Middlesbrough were always likely to hold onto their narrow lead but failure to kill the game off led to the match developing into a tense affair.

And, apart from one save when Mark Schwarzer tipped Paul Dickov's header over the bar, there was very little in the way of goalmouth incident but there was a strong claim for a penalty turned down by Mike Riley with seven minutes to play.

Reiziger appeared to push Dickov to the floor inside the area and the Scot said: "I was just watching the ball and then I was bundled over. As well as being pushed in the back he's clipped my heels as well. I thought it was definitely a penalty."

Young Middlesbrough striker Danny Graham should have scored two minutes from time when he was denied by Friedel, after being picked out by the tenacious Zenden.

But it was the incident immediately after that when Parlour, yellow carded early in the game for a tackle on Robbie Savage, kicked the ball away and that could have bigger consequences for an already injury-ravaged Middlesbrough.

All Queudrue was concerned about, however, was finally earning a victory.

"It was important to get the three points, it's the first league win of 2005 and you could tell that the crowd was getting edgy and frustrated."

Result: Middlesbrough 1 Blackburn 0.

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