AS IN any rugby club there are some old stagers at Middlesbrough who think the young bucks in the team need another season of learning before being promoted back to North One.

On Saturday's evidence it's not difficult to see what they mean. On the other hand, the quicker they get out of North Two East the better.

This home-produced team will learn more quickly at the higher level than scrapping it out in dour derbies with Redcar.

As if to prove that some things never change, Redcar's veteran prop Charlie Challenor took the chance to show he remains the archetypal bovver boy after replacing Ian Potter midway through the first half.

Sent to the sin-bin after 50 minutes, Challenor was finally dismissed after seven minutes of injury time, his chicanery allowing Boro to kick the penalty which ensured victory.

They had to send the experienced Ian Bircham off the bench to secure it, however, as his sweetly-struck 30-metre drop goal had edged them in front a few minutes earlier.

It was Boro's seventh successive win and while they are unlikely to catch leaders Hull, if they keep on winning they should earn a home play-off against the runners-up in North Two West, currently looking likely to be Caldy or Blackburn.

But they will need to improve on this performance, in which they kept surrendering the ball against robust opponents who started strongly and should have had more to show for their early dominance than a Mark Patterson penalty.

It took Boro 25 minutes to threaten through left winger Lee Davis, whose recent success with Yorkshire Under 19s has earned him selection for the Under 20s.

His sprightly dash up the wing would have brought a try had he not put a foot in touch, but Redcar's indiscipline shortly afterwards allowed Simon Moore to level the scores.

Redcar came back by supporting player-coach Jamie Connolly in a powerful midfield drive, from which centre Greg Unthank made a total hash of a drop goal attempt.

Patterson put them back in front with another penalty, but two minutes later Boro scrum half Peter Wright, who was a class above most of the other players, broke from a line-out on the 22 and scored by the posts.

Moore converted for a 10-6 half-time lead and with the wind behind them Boro looked certain winners.

But they failed to capitalise on Challenor's absence, despite a good kick to the corner by fly half Ali Little, and when Moore missed a simple penalty they began to lose their way as the game ground almost to a halt through a series of stoppages.

While Boro were entrapped by this torpor Redcar suddenly went back in front with ten minutes of normal time remaining.

What looked no more than a speculative kick bounced off a Boro player and fell nicely for Connolly, who scored in the right corner.

The game then burst back into something approaching life, only for a strong counter-attack featuring Moore, Wright and Andy Micklewright to end with Boro yet again giving the ball away.

But then lock Phil Tilson stole it back and drove forward and Bircham kicked to the corner.

Boro kept the pressure on and just when the ball looked like going into touch again it was rescued by hard-working hooker Richard Horton, who flung an excellent pass which gave Bircham time to line up his drop goal.

He wouldn't claim it was inspired by Jonny Wilkinson because he's been doing it for years. But it was a moment to savour for Boro and their fans.

Result: Middlesbrough 16 Redcar 11.