Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Aston Villa - STEVE McCLAREN maintains he has restored Middlesbrough's respect in the eyes of a football world which looked on with incredulity at the events of last season.

Terry Venables was recruited halfway through the campaign to bail out beleaguered boss Bryan Robson and rescue Boro from relegation.

Former England coach Venables accomplished his mission, but ultimately couldn't save Robson's job.

Chairman Steve Gibson took a gamble and turned to the untried McClaren, Sir Alex Ferguson's right-hand man at Manchester United.

After four defeats at the start of the season, the new manager was reeling.

But gradually he began to find his feet and now, with Boro safe from the renewed fear of relegation and the countdown underway to an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, McClaren can feel a sense of pride in what he has achieved in under ten months in charge.

McClaren's words are no reflection on the previous regime, but he believes he has helped to rebuild Boro's reputation.

Saturday's win over Aston Villa stretched their impressive run to only three defeats in 20 games in all competitions.

But McClaren insists he has still not made his managerial mark.

"No, I don't feel as though I've done that yet,'' said the England coach, who will get no better education than working under Sven-Goran Eriksson at this summer's World Cup.

"I still think I've got a hell of a long way to go. What we needed to do here this year was make sure we stayed in this league and consolidated.

"Whenever teams play us now, they know they are in for a tough game and they respect us. I'm proud of that, but there's more to do.''

McClaren believes Boro's superb victory on his first return to Manchester United just over a fortnight ago, was something of a watershed.

"The win at Old Trafford was probably the big result for us,'' he said. "That has given us a lot of belief in what we're doing, knowing we're going in the right direction.''

However, with another Old Trafford date looming, Boro's belief will be tested to the limit as they send out a seriously depleted side to face the double-seeking Gunners.

A hamstring injury sustained by frontman Noel Whelan after only ten minutes of the Villa game, could have ended his season.

McClaren said: "It looks bad and he's a major doubt which is another blow for us.''

Boro are now definitely without five first-team squad members for the semi-final, with skipper Paul Ince suspended, on-loan Benito Carbone Cup-tied, and Mark Wilson and David Murphy out for the rest of the season through respective thigh and ankle injuries.

But that list could grow to seven if leading scorer Alen Boksic and fellow striker Szilard Nemeth are also ruled out.

Nemeth looks to be the most doubtful with an ankle injury, but McClaren is refusing to discount Boksic, who has missed the last two matches with a groin problem.

"He wasn't far away from playing on Saturday,'' said McClaren. He's got another week, so hopefully he'll be fit.''

The man Boro will miss most, however, is Carbone, who has quickly become a Riverside cult hero.

This was the Italian's tenth game since he arrived from Bradford on a three-month deal and he increased the pressure on McClaren to make the arrangement permanent when he opened his Boro goal account seven minutes from the break.

Latching on to fellow loanee Franck Queudrue's long ball, former Villa star Carbone cleverly managed to get goalside of Steve Staunton before firing past keeper Peter Schmeichel.

Dean Windass had replaced Whelan and performed effectively in a revival of a link-up with Carbone which was first forged in their days together at Bradford.

But overall it was a far from convincing Boro display and Villa spurned two good chances before drawing level on the hour through Juan Pablo Angel, who executed an expert volley from a knockdown courtesy of the towering Peter Crouch.

Five minutes later, though, Boro were back in front, and again Carbone was at the heart of matters.

Schmeichel pushed behind his header from Queudrue's free-kick, but when Carbone delivered the corner from the left, another ex-Villan, Ugo Ehiogu, arrived to fire a bullet header beyond Schmeichel.

It was England centre-back Ehiogu's second goal in three games against Villa since he moved to Boro for £8m last season.

And it was his second in his last nine appearances at a time when he is eager to get himself noticed and push his World Cup claims.

With his Boro hat on, McClaren said: "Ugo has the talent and ability and now he is performing.''

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