STEWART Downing might have provided the tricks, but it was Bolo Zenden that supplied the treats as Middlesbrough's midfielders celebrated Halloween weekend by bewitching the Valley.

The Dutch international's first-half strike cannoned off both Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Charlton defender Talal El Karkouri before trundling into the net, but there was no doubting the quality of his all-important intervention after the break.

With Jonatan Johansson having fired the Addicks level, Zenden played an intricate one-two with Mark Viduka before lofting a delicate chip over Dean Kiely.

The goal temporarily lifted Boro to fourth in the Premiership but, perhaps more significantly, Zenden's match-winning display proved that Steve McClaren's side can survive without the stricken Gaizka Mendieta.

Indeed, while the Mediterranean midfielder's long-term knee injury is a personal tragedy, it may prove to be a turning point in Boro's season for more positive reasons.

Nobody would wish to see any player sidelined for eight months - especially one as prodigious and personable as Mendieta - but his absence already looks like solving a riddle that was threatening to undermine Boro's progress this term.

With the Spaniard all but assured his place on the right of midfield, and Ray Parlour and George Boateng playing so well in the central positions, McClaren was facing a straight choice between the reliability of Zenden and the unpredictability of Downing on the left flank.

Satisfying the wants of two players desperate to feature in every game was never going to be easy, especially given the demands of a Riverside crowd desperate to see their new hometown hero given an extended run in the team.

Mendieta's injury has effectively made McClaren's mind up for him, and Saturday's visit to south London saw Boro fielding a new-look midfield that is likely to stay in place for much of the campaign.

With Parlour shuffled across to the right, and Downing retained on the opposite flank, Zenden was asked to tuck inside to provide both attacking impetus and defensive discipline.

The 28-year-old's response was emphatic - a hand in both goals, and a display brimming with his usual incisive runs and intelligent passing and somewhat more unusual tough tackling and defensive diligence.

"If you play in a lot of different positions, sometimes it can detract from your own performance," said Zenden, who is one of only two outfield players to have played in every Premiership game for Boro this season.

"But it's good to be able to play in all of those positions and I enjoy being someone who can be flexible for the team.

"It's good to help the team out like that and I don't think my own performance suffered at all from changing position.

"I enjoyed playing inside because you get a lot of the ball. I'm involved in the game a lot when I play there, and I've still got the license to go forward.

"In football, the most important thing is to play. The second most important thing is to get results - to win games - and the third most important thing is to play well.

"I always want to play and, if I can help the team and the manager out, I will do that. Throughout my career, I've mostly played on the left-hand side, but I know I can fill in as an attacker in the centre of midfield.

"It helps to have George there playing alongside me and I think we've got a good understanding already - maybe it's because we can be double Dutch!"

Before Saturday, Boro had taken just two points from their five Premiership visits to the Valley and, by beating that tally in the space of 90 minutes, the Teessiders underlined just how much progress has been made in the last 12 months.

Once again, it was a combination of McClaren's summer signings and Boro's young guns that did the damage, with Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka leading the line while 18-year-old Tony McMahon negated the threat of Charlton's own teenage prodigy, Jerome Thomas, at the other end.

"It just shows how far we have come," said Zenden. "How many injuries have we already had? It's been unbelievable - players seem to drop like leaves from the trees.

"But we got a good result at Manchester United with eight players injured and now we've won at Charlton.

"We're stronger because we got five players in the summer, and they were all experienced players. At the same time, we've also got good young players coming through."

Boro's success was built around the effervescent Zenden and the ever-reliable Boateng, although their 20th-minute opener owed plenty to lady luck.

Downing's cross was only half-cleared by Chris Perry, and Zenden's drive hit first Hasselbaink and then former Sunderland defender El Karkouri before rolling past a wrong-footed Kiely.

Despite enjoying complete control before the break, Boro paid the price for a sloppy start to the second half two minutes after the interval. Jason Euell, who had otherwise looked like a fish out of water in central midfield, produced an inch-perfect through ball for Johansson, and the flying Finn rounded Mark Schwarzer before slotting the ball past a retreating McMahon.

Two weeks ago, Newcastle had been unable to score a second after being pegged back at the Valley but it took Middlesbrough just 11 minutes to regain the lead.

Zenden's first-time lay-off to Viduka was repaid in kind, and the midfielder showed admirable composure to deftly chip Kiely as he came racing off his line.

When Newcastle visited Charlton, the final ten minutes of the game turned into a footballing equivalent of pinball, with the ball pinging from one end to the other and twice crashing against the Magpies' woodwork.

Middlesbrough are able to close out a game in a manner utterly alien to their North-East rivals and, despite Charlton's renewed efforts, the result was never in doubt.

It might have been the weekend of Halloween but, with Gareth Southgate and Chris Riggott in complete control, scares were always going to be kept to a minimum.

Result: Charlton Athletic 1 Middlesbrough 2.

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