A DETERMINED Juninho spoke last night of his desire to stay and fight for his place at Middlesbrough.

The World Cup winner has been at the centre of transfer rumours recently after Boro brought in Mark Viduka and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink to the Riverside.

And the Brazilian, enjoying his third spell on Teesside, sees no reason to end his lengthy assocation with the club - despite being relegated to second-team duties at York City last night.

"Why would I want to leave now?" said the 31-year-old.

"Boro are playing in Europe next season so of course I want to stay.

"There have been only rumours about a move. I want to stay here.

"I will only leave if the manager tells me he doesn't want me.

"I expect to be playing in the first XI. The manager has to honest and play the best players who are playing the best football at the moment."

Bootham Crescent hasn't seen many World Cup winners over the years but the Brazilian star was in a Boro side which ran out 6-1 winners last night.

The local wags remembered one Robert Moore playing for Fulham against the Minstermen but, if it was to be Juninho's last game for the Teessiders, then there would be no Mooresque tackles from the 31-year-old.

He was more than happy to ensure that it wouldn't be ended by an injury, steering well clear of any full-blooded challenges.

After a lacklustre opening, Boro took the lead in the 18th minute with Massimo Maccarone picking up the pieces after Stewart Downing's drive from just outside the area was pushed into his path by former Darlington keeper Chris Porter.

Maccarone had two excellent chances set up by strike partner Szilard Nemeth to make it a first-half hat-trick but failed on both occasions.

Boro made it two on the half hour when Dutch triallist Sergio, picked up from Anderlecht, hit a cracking effort on the volley from the edge of the box that flew past Porter.

The Minstermen's best effort of the opening came from another former Quaker, the impressive Gary Pearson firing a 25-yarder that was held by Carlo Nash.

Nemeth wasn't to be outdone by his strike partner, hitting a 15-minute hat-trick just after the break, the first a superb curling effort, before York turned the game into an Eriksson-like farce with seven second-half substitutes.

It was one of their subs, Paul Groves, who missed the host's best chance after the break in the 73rd minute, heading wide after Lee Nogan had set him up with a free-header from six yards.

Juninho remained on the periphery of the game but did manage to set up Maccarone for his hat-trick with a quickly-taken free kick after 75 minutes. He also set up Boro's £8.15m man up soon after with a run and pass through the middle, but sub keeper Craig Mawson parried well.

A consolation prize for the Minstermen came in injury time when player-boss Chris Brass fired home from the edge of the penalty area.

Boro (4-3-1-2): Nash; McMahon, Riggott, Bates, Taylor, Wilson, Sergio (Peacock, 67mins), Downing, Juninho, Nemeth, Maccarone.

York (4-4-2): Porter (Mawson, 70); Brass, Clarke, Davis (Teesdale, 70), Smith (Law, 61), Brayson, Pearson, Dunning (Groves, 45), Merris (Robinson, 45), Bishop (Yalcin, 61), Rowan (Nogan, 45). Attendance: 1,274

Meanwhile, new arrival Mark Viduka scored and created another as Middlesbrough paired their new-look firing line in front of the club's fans for the first time last night in a slow-paced 2-2 draw at Rotherham United.

Viduka and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink both played 90 minutes and after a quiet start the Australian international, a £4.5m buy from Leeds, skilfully turned his man just after half-time to set up a goal for Gaizka Mendieta.

Viduka got his name on the scoresheet when he struck home a penalty in front of the Boro supporters not long after.

Boro's other signing of the summer, Holland's Euro 2004 star Michael Reiziger, was missing and he does not start training with the rest of the squad until Monday.

But there was a surprise inclusion for Jonathan Greening. Greening has been in talks since last week with West Brom over a move, believed to be worth an initial £1m, but no further progress looks to have been made.

Hasselbaink and Viduka were always on the periphery in an opening half in which Joseph Job's long-range drive was their only effort on goal.

Rotherham, with former Boro full-back Robbie Stockdale in the team, were by far the better side in the opening period and ex-Sunderland man Michael Proctor and Paul Warne both went close before they took the lead on the stroke of half-time through midfielder John Mullin.

Immediately after the restart - 29 seconds in fact - Boro were level. Viduka's trickery got him to the line and Mendieta turned the forward's cross high into the net.

Six minutes later Viduka calmly side-footed a penalty beyond substitute goalkeeper Gary Montgomery after Shaun Barker had fouled the striker. But victory was denied them when Chris Sedgwick's shot deflected off George Boateng past Mark Schwarzer.

Rotherham: Pollitt; Stockdale, Swailes, Gilchrist, Minto, Sedgwick, Garner, Mullin, Warne, Proctor, Barker. Subs (used): Hoskins, Montgomery, Hurst, Scott, Vernazza, Daws, Barker, Duncum.

Boro: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Ehiogu, Southgate, Queudrue, Mendieta, Greening, Boateng, Job, Hasselbaink, Viduka. Subs (not used): Graham, Knight, Wheater, Cattermole, Kennedy.

RAY PARLOUR has revealed the prospect of playing regularly could convince him to wave goodbye to a lucrative testimonial at Arsenal in favour of joining Middlesbrough, writes PAUL FRASER.

Boro boss Steve McClaren wants to make the midfielder his fourth signing of the summer - following Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Viduka and Michael Reiziger to the Riverside.

And if McClaren is to get his wish then Parlour, who has one year remaining on his Gunners deal, has to turn his back on the possibility of an £800,000 windfall for a star-studded testimonial - a match given to players who complete ten years service at one club.

The 31-year-old is hoping for a three year deal on Teesside, although the Romford man would prefer to move to boyhood heroes West Ham.

"I have no plans to leave Arsenal and nothing about Middlesbrough has come through to me but, at my age, what every player looks for is first-team football," said Parlour, who captained Arsenal in the 10-1 friendly win at Barnet on Saturday. ''In an ideal world I'd like to join West Ham, my local club, if there was a choice."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.