WITH so many international star names playing alongside Chris Riggott, the calm and assured defender's rise to first team regular has been largely overlooked.

But against Liverpool, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka failing to end personal goal droughts, Riggott was thrust into the limelight when he scored the opening goal - a rarity in itself.

His last goals were in only his second game for Teessiders after joining from Derby in January last year.

The double he struck in a draw at Sunderland 22 months ago firmly marked is arrival at the Teesside club. But it has taken until recent weeks to, as Saturday's match-day programme put it, come of age.

Initially Riggott spent a lot of time frustrated at being unable to work his way ahead of the formidable pairing of Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu.

When he did have a chance to stake a claim there was always a thought in the back of his mind that no matter how he performed he would make way as soon as either of McClaren's first choice centre-backs returned from injury.

That was the case for the opening game of this season when injury to Southgate gave Riggott a platform to impress. But a costly mistake allowed Newcastle's Craig Bellamy the chance to pounce and he feared the axe may fall.

However, Riggott's determination to succeed and composure has ultimately led to him forcing his way ahead of £8m man Ehiogu, currently out through injury, and a recent fans poll hailed him as the club's best performer so far this season.

The faith McClaren is now showing in him is clearly having an effect. "I feel better than last season. I feel I'm more part of things because it's difficult to play when you just come in for injuries," said Riggott.

"You never really feel like yourself and it's a really big thing to be a regular. I would not like to emphasise who is first choice and who isn't. I don't want to get involved with who is being left out. That's down to the manager. But to be playing is really benefiting my game.

"To score was nice. But it was a pinpoint cross from Stewart Downing and I could not miss.

"I remember scoring from yards out at Sunderland but I still haven't scored with my head."

Liverpool, without their two main strikers Djibril Cisse and Milan Baros, were lightweight up front and the growing in stature pairing of Southgate and Riggott proved too strong for Harry Kewell and Javier Luis Garcia.

Middlesbrough had been the more threatening - with goalkeeper Chris Kirkland forced into one fine save from Hasselbaink - and they deserved to take the lead through Riggott.

The 24-year-old, who had stayed up after a corner broke down, nipped in between Sami Hyypia and Djimi Traore to volley Downing's perfect left wing cross beyond Kirkland nine minutes before half-time.

That sparked Liverpool's best spell of pressure and Luis Garcia's curling shot moments later found the back of the net but was ruled out for offside, although replays suggested the decision could have been a wrong one.

Liverpool continued to press after the restart. The only thing denying them an equaliser was the purely exceptional skills of Mark Schwarzer in the Middlesbrough goal.

Schwarzer's future remains in doubt after failing so far to agree terms to sign an extension to his contract which runs out in June, when he could leave for nothing.

And it was a moment of instinctive genius from the Australian that preserved the home side's lead when he somehow palmed a downward Kewell header from six yards up and over the bar.

"It was a defining moment in the game for us. Mark has great reactions and he will probably get a better deal out of that!" said Riggott, on a situation that was fuelled yesterday by speculation McClaren is lining up Norwich's Robert Green as his replacement.

"But to have a goalkeeper like Mark behind you is tremendous for defenders. He's a top keeper and there's not many better around."

The introduction of England's Steven Gerrard, after a long lay-off with a broken metatarsal, sparked Liverpool briefly into life but the lack of a potent goalscorer led to their profligacy.

Middlesbrough are not suffering from that problem. It may not be Hasselbaink, without a goal since his hat-trick at Blackburn, or Viduka, without one since September 16, but they do have midfielder Bolo Zenden.

Zenden, who had a strike wrongly ruled out for offside in the Carling Cup defeat at Anfield recently, was alert to Hasselbaink's through ball, after Downing's run, to grab his sixth goal in six games to complete the victory.

The Dutchman, enjoying life in the middle of midfield, said: "When I play on the left wing I'm more a of a provider. I have scored goals before but this is a very good consecutive run of goals. I can't remember getting as many goals in as many games before. It's been great for me.

"Maybe I was more offside this time than I was at Anfield but who cares. If it looks like I was level than I was level and it's a goal and it counts."

Middlesbrough relaxed and played some fantastic football in patches. The Reds have their own aspirations of achieving a Champions League spot but on this evidence it could well be Middlesbrough that pip them to the spot.

Result: Middlesbrough 2 Liverpool 0.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.