WITH European football now ingrained in the psyche of Middlesbrough fans, Steve McClaren is undoubtedly exploring every avenue that leads back to the promised land in May.

A top-four finish and a Champions League spot appears option one but, if that fails, then lifting the UEFA Cup would be a very welcome alternative, if not preference.

However, with only one league place for the UEFA Cup up for grabs, the FA Cup could still offer the simplest route to Europe.

In fact three more wins and a semi-final spot may even be enough to ensure the Teesside faithful again get their fix. That is if the Premiership big guns don't fall by the wayside or cancel each other out before the last four.

It would appear McClaren has done the math as they say.

On Saturday he refused to make wholesale changes to the starting XI, instead opting just to tinker with his side.

He knew they had enough about them to secure a place in round four - just enough!

A narrow 2-1 win over league two opponents may not inspire a great deal of confidence, but the omens may provide more cause for optimism.

Over the last decade the Teessiders have a domestic cup pedigree that ranks up there with any English club - a record of four finals and one win only bettered by Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

However, in every run they have scraped past a lower league side and at Meadow Lane they were at it again.

According to Sir Bobby Robson's comments on the Radio Five Live on Saturday morning the third round provides a lot of potential 'banana blips'.

At half-time there was a strong possibility that Boro may have been slipping on one of them.

Franck Queudrue, for one, appeared to have his mind on other things when the game kicked off.

Ninety seconds were on the clock when he was caught in possession allowing Tony Scully to break down the right and cross.

The ball, however, never reached its intended target deflecting off the head of Ugo Ehiogu and looping over Mark Schwarzer.

A fluke, perhaps, but one Boro struggled to recover from. They did see two efforts cleared off the line before the break but it was only when McClaren changed formation at half time that the game changed.

The introduction of Danny Graham was pivotal.

McClaren said: "We put an extra attacker on and changed the shape a little bit. Once we got the first I felt confident we'd go on and win it.

"They were always going to make life difficult for us and it was vitally important to win this game.

"We had a few players like Ehiogu and (Chris) Riggott coming back and it was important we went out and started another run.

"The competition is vitally important for us. We had a taste last year winning the Carling Cup.

"We know what a magnificent occasion it is to get to a final and what a great run you have to go on. It's the next step on for us."

After Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Joseph Job had both missed chances early in the second half the equaliser came from a most unlikely source.

Doriva's goals in recent years have arrived sporadically but he took his first for Middlesbrough with the aplomb of a seasoned scorer.

Michael Reiziger's 54th minute effort was beaten away by Saul Deeney and when the Brazilian picked up possession 20 yards out he cracked a right-footed strike that flew past the outstretched arm of the keeper.

Doriva has become something of a cup specialist with his last goal in October 2001 for Celta Vigo in the first round of the Spanish version of the competition.

Unfortunately for Boro fans at his current rate he will be 35 before he next celebrates hitting the back of the net.

After the goal it appeared only a matter of time before Boro made it two, and when Graham was fouled on the right side of the box, Stewart Downing's free-kick was turned home at the far post by Job.

"This was a potential giant-killing especially after conceding an early goal," said McClaren. "Credit to Notts County who showed a great attitude when they had something to hold on.

"They rode their luck at times - I think we had four cleared off the line - and you had a sense of maybe it wasn't going to be our day.

"But the players showed tremendous attitude.

"They kept going, they showed great patience and great character to be 1-0 down and come back to win 2-1. I'm proud of the players."

Meadow Lane may seem a long way from the Olympic Stadium, Rome, or Lisbon's Stadium of Light but Saturday's victory is one step en route to European football.

Result: Notts County 1 Middlesbrough 2.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.