ONE goal may have been the only difference between Middlesbrough and Birmingham on Saturday - but it was a strike well worthy of claiming all three points.

Franck Queudrue's third goal for Boro was a sweetly-struck 25-yard free-kick which flew into Blues keeper Nico Vaesen's top left corner after 29 minutes.

And that effort was further evidence that Queudrue is now feeling right at home at the Riverside after completing a permanent £2.5m switch from Lens in the summer.

The left-sided defender, who spent the majority of last season on loan from the French club, was an instant hit at the Riverside.

But he was never able to fully settle on Teesside as he had to leave his pregnant wife, Ismerie, on the other side of the English channel.

Queudrue would then make the trip back to his homeland when ever he had the opportunity.

But now, after signing a five-year deal and following the birth of his baby daughter Lilie, he has now been able to solely concentrate on his football - and he believes there is still more to come.

"My wife stayed in France and that's why I was on the plane so much. It made life difficult for me," he said.

"But my wife's coming over in September and it's made life a lot easier. I now feel everything's falling into place."

Prior to his move to the Premiership, Queudrue was a France B international and he is being tipped for full honours if he continues to show the same type of form he is currently showing.

Ahead of him in the French squad is Bayern Munich's Bixente Lizarazu and Manchester United's Mikael Silvestre.

And Boro boss Steve McClaren insists Queudrue can force his way into the national team's reckoning if he continues to fulfil his potential at club level.

"Franck is a great lad to have around and he can make mistakes, but if he does make them he keeps going," said McClaren.

"He has to keep performing week in and week out; consistency is everything. If he does that then he could get international honours."

There was very little for either goalkeeper to do at the Riverside, as most of the action was being seen in the middle of the pitch.

Top-flight newcomers Birmingham - with the uncompromising Robbie Savage and Aliou Cisse in midfield - were always going to battle their way through the 90 minutes and that is exactly what they did.

But what proved essential for Boro is that their duo in the middle - Jonathan Greening and Geremi - were just as tigerish.

With George Boateng out injured, few would have thought the Greening and Geremi combination would have won that particular confrontation, but they did.

And what must be refreshing for McClaren is that Greening, in particular, is now developing the ball-winning qualities which were lacking from his game just six months ago.

Seven players were booked on Saturday, but that was largely down to card happy referee Andy D'Urso making a fuss of the slightest niggle.

That spoilt what was a high-tempo affair but it took until Queudrue's free-kick to open the scoring.

Massimo Maccarone, a summer target for Birmingham boss Steve Bruce, and Szilard Nemeth were looking bright, but they failed to get in behind the visitors' backline.

After the interval Greening had a powerful left-foot shot pushed firmly away by Vaesen after some neat link-up play between Maccarone and Joseph-Desire Job.

As the clocked ticked down Birmingham, still in high spirits after their second city derby victory over Aston Villa last week, pushed to find the equaliser.

Cisse shot wide from inside the six-yard box, substitute Jovan Kirovski worked himself into a couple of good positions but Ugo Ehiogu, Tony Vidmar and Colin Cooper stood firm for Boro.

A lot of pressure was on Vidmar, making his debut, to perform as he came in for skipper Gareth Southgate, out with a back injury.

The Australian quickly adapted to life in the Premiership and goal-hero Queudrue praised the new signing and the rest of his teammates.

"It was a great performance and I'm not alone because the whole team defended very well," he said. "The back three of Vidmar, Cooper and Ugo did very well."

In fact, Queudrue should have added his second of the match in injury time, but he fired wide after making a darting run into the box to latch on to Maccarone's pass.

But Boro still secured the victory which lifted them to sixth in the Premiership as they ensured their unbeaten home run continued.

Result: Middlesbrough 1 Birmongham City 0.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.