MIDDLESBROUGH skipper Gareth Southgate should be fit for the trip to Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day after being the only winner to fall out from Saturday's postponement.

Southgate would not have played at Birmingham City - had the match not been controversially called off by referee Chris Foy - after picking up a virus on Friday evening.

Ugo Ehiogu, Chris Riggott and Andrew Davies were all standing by to partner Colin Cooper at the heart of the Boro defence.

But now manager Steve McClaren is expecting to have reliable Southgate available again for the match at Ewood Park.

Regardless of having his experienced captain missing through illness, McClaren insists his in-form side were desperate to play at St Andrews at the weekend.

Mr Foy postponed the Premiership fixture just 80 minutes before the game was due to kick-off after 14mm of rain fell overnight - 12mm more than the level forecast - and it left the playing field with surface water in many areas.

Ironically, it was seven years ago yesterday that Boro failed to field a side for a match at Blackburn when they argued they were without 23 players due to illness, injury, suspension and loans. Three points were deducted that day in a season that eventually ended in relegation.

This time, though, there was no such problems and McClaren wanted the match to be given the go-ahead.

The Boro boss, aware that around 700 supporters had made the trip from Teesside, said: "We felt that after ten games unbeaten that we had every chance of continuing that run.

"After the Carling Cup tie win at Tottenham, you could see that all the players were very confident. So the disappointment runs right through the squad."

After the match was called off, a disgusted Birmingham boss Steve Bruce had his players training on the turf which was deemed unsuitable for action by the match official.

And both managers united to condemn the way Mr Foy went about doing things. McClaren said: "It's very, very disappointing for everybody. But the referee made the decision and there was nothing we could do about it.

"When we got to St Andrews there was water on the pitch, but there was still one and a half hours to go before kick-off."

And Bruce fumed: "There was a 100 per cent improvement in the conditions between when the referee inspected at 1pm and when he called it off at 1.45pm.

"This pitch drains well and had it been given a full hour it would have been OK. If it was going to be a lottery I wouldn't have complained but that was not the case."

But it was not just the men in charge of the two sides who were left frustrated with the referee's verdict.

There were a clutch of stars branding the decision made by Mr Foy, who claimed the 'safety of the footballers' was paramount in his thinking, as a joke.

And Boro defender Danny Mills said: "I can't understand why the game was called off. Everyone has played in worse conditions than that week in and week out."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.