MATTHEW Bates is hoping to follow in Tony McMahon's footsteps by using FA Youth Cup glory as the springboard to the Middlesbrough first team.

This time last year, McMahon was helping Boro's juniors to a 2-1 Youth Cup win at Walsall but, on Saturday, the former youth-team skipper is expected to make his 16th senior appearance at Norwich.

Since lifting the Youth Cup at the Riverside in April, the 18-year-old has swapped the training pitches at Rockliffe Park for the bright lights of Old Trafford and Villareal.

Bates has looked on enviously but, with Middlesbrough facing something of a defensive crisis at the moment, the centre-half's own big break could be just around the corner.

The 18-year-old has already made his first-team bow this season - a fleeting substitute appearance against Manchester City - and is hoping that more Youth Cup success pushes him even further in Steve McClaren's plans.

"Tony's been lucky with injuries," said Eaglescliffe-born Bates, who joined Middlesbrough at the age of 12 after spending the first four years of his football development at Manchester United.

"But he's taken his chance really well and all the younger lads take a lot from what's he's done.

"It looks like he'll get another chance now with Michael Reiziger picking up another injury and, if he plays as well as he did last time, he's going to be difficult to leave out.

"We all look at Tony and James Morrison, and it's a massive incentive for us to do well in this competition.

"Three of the lads from last year's team have made their first-team debut this year. If we can win it again, we might be in the same position as Tony in 12 months' time."

Bates played alongside McMahon as Boro's youngsters brushed aside Aston Villa in the final of last year's competition.

That success made up for the heartbreak of 12 months earlier, when Boro fell to Manchester United at the final hurdle.

Successive final appearances have underlined the strength of a Middlesbrough Academy that has also produced the likes of Stewart Downing, Stuart Parnaby and Andrew Davies in recent years.

But, while Bates remains proud of what his fellow youngsters achieved last season, the defender insists the club's current crop cannot rely on past glories.

"We all remember what happened last year, but I think the time has come now to forget about it," he said.

"Our gaffer (Dave Parnaby) has told us that we had two good years - winning it last year and losing in the final the year before - but that's in the past now.

"We can't keep looking back to those cup runs and we can't keep talking about them.

"This year is what's important now. There are a lot of new players in this team and we need to achieve something for ourselves."

That task continues at the Riverside this evening, with Middlesbrough taking on a Sunderland side that beat them 4-0 in a league game earlier this season.

"That was a good win for them," admitted Bates. "But we had a lot of lads missing that day.

"We'll have five or six players back for the Youth Cup game and I'm sure that will make a difference.

"It would have been a big game anyway - but the fact that we're up against Sunderland means it's that little bit bigger still."

* Kick off is 7pm and tickets are priced at £3 adults and £1 concessions and are available from the ground this evening.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.