Ince in race to be fit for Cup showdown

The Boro skipper missed Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Southampton with a groin injury, but could return to the fray against the Toffees.

Ince's experience in the middle of the pitch has been invaluable to Steve McClaren's relegation-threatened side this season.

And the Riverside chief admits he is hoping to have the leadership qualities of the 34-year-old back in his starting line-up this weekend.

"We thought Paul Ince needed a few days' rest," said McClaren. "And hopefully that rest will have done him good.

"What we are hoping for now is that he has shrugged the injury off and hopefully he will be back in time for Everton. But we have to say hopefully."

McClaren was forced to hand 20-year-old Luke Wilkshire his first appearance for the first team, at Southampton, since arriving on the same scholarship as Leeds United's Harry Kewell four years ago.

The right-sided midfielder from New South Wales replaced Jonathan Greening out wide who filled the void left by Ince in the centre. And should Ince fail to regain full fitness for the clash with Everton, McClaren admits he will not be afraid to throw Wilkshire in again after the youngster's impressive debut.

"Wilkshire, I thought, for such a pressure game showed great composure," said McClaren, who will also have to find a replacement for cup-tied Benito Carbone and suspended Ugo Ehiogu on Sunday.

"And Luke did the job for the full 90 minutes and you can't knock that.

"Luke has got to be proud of his performance, we are and there's no reason why he shouldn't be.

"His passing was unbelievable, it was very, very good. And for him to play like that on his first start is fantastic.

"In fact it was as good a debut as I've seen from any player."

McClaren was "delighted" with taking a point from Southampton, especially after going down to ten men with half-an-hour remaining.

But victories for West Ham, Blackburn and Sunderland - who were all below the Teessiders before the midweek matches - have meant Boro still have a lot to do if they are to ensure they survive the drop into the Nationwide League.

Regardless of the three teams putting more pressure on Boro to keep up the form, which has seen them lose just twice since the turn of the year, McClaren maintains he is only concentrating on his own side's displays.

"We are on 35 points and it's up to us," said McClaren, whose next two League meetings are Liverpool, at home, and Manchester United, away, on successive Saturdays.

"What other teams do around us should be of no concern to us and it isn't.

"What we have got to be bothered about is ourselves and where we're going to pick up points.

"We don't know how many points is going to be good enough to make us stay up, we just have to keep performing."

McClaren, meanwhile, also backed No 1 keeper Mark Schwarzer to keep up the good work.

Schwarzer made two superb saves at St Mary's.

First, he turned away a long drive from England left-back Wayne Bridge and then in stoppage time he acrobatically tipped a stinging Marian Pahars effort over the bar, when the ball looked destined for the net.

And McClaren, who knows the Aussie received some criticism when he was recalled at the expense of in-form Mark Crossley against Blackburn on February 16, said: "Pahars' shot was destined for the top corner and it was a magnificent save. We have got to thank Mark Schwarzer for getting us that point.

"I thought he was immaculate throughout the game and he has been, apart from one mistake at West Ham and he got vilified for it.

"I don't think he has to prove anything to anybody. He knows what he can do and we know what he can do."

Meanwhile, Gianluca Festa, sent off for the second time in a month at St Mary's, will be suspended for three games.

The Italian will miss the away trip to Manchester United and then clashes with Tottenham Hotspur and Derby County.

* Everton captain Kevin Campbell has been ruled out of Sunday's quarter-final match, but will play a part in keeping his side in the top flight. Campbell was taken off on Wednesday during the 1-0 defeat at West Ham after sustaining what looked at the time to be a serious ankle ligament injury.

But Campbell had a scan and an X-ray yesterday and no long-term damage was discovered

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