STEVE McClaren expects to see two smiling faces at training this week, after Middlesbrough's surly strikeforce earned a 3-2 win over Manchester City.

Mark Viduka's double ended a three-month goal drought, before fellow forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink halted his own barren run with a ferocious free-kick.

After beginning their Boro careers with a bang, the duo had struggled to find the back of the net in recent weeks.

But, after rediscovering their touch to keep Boro within two points of the top four, McClaren expects both Viduka and Hasselbaink to be in jovial mood ahead of the weekend's trip to Southampton.

"They've been getting grumpier and grumpier every day," admitted the Boro boss, who yesterday accepted an FA charge of improper conduct following last month's defeat at Spurs, but requested a personal hearing to make his excuses. "Maybe they'll have a smile on their face now.

"It wasn't as though they weren't playing well and creating the chances though. We needed them. We knew we would need them to contribute if we were going to win, and I thought the three goals were magnificent.

"The quality of the goals was superb. Stewart Downing's played a good ball for the opener, but the composure Viduka showed to take the ball was brilliant.

"The second goal was a great combination with Jimmy, and then the free-kick was perfect. Three great goals when we needed them.

"We go into every game saying we need two goals to win, and now we've got strikers who are capable of getting them."

Boro's deadly duo grabbed the headlines, but McClaren was equally impressed with another impressive display from 20-year-old Downing.

The left winger overshadowed opposite number Shaun Wright-Phillips and, with England hosting Holland in February, Downing's maiden international cap could be just two months away.

"I thought this was a very big test for Stewart," said McClaren. "It was live on TV, and playing against Danny Mills meant it was a big night for him.

"But he rose to the occasion and was a threat all the way through. He's certainly maturing and he's getting the consistency that he needs.

"We told him that, if he keeps playing like that, then Sven (Goran Eriksson) can't ignore him.''

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