IT seems like a bit of an own goal - but Middlesbrough FC is about to change the name of its stadium to 0-2.

BT announced yesterday that the name of its mobile arm is to be altered to O2, the chemical symbol for oxygen.

Public relations gurus say the change is designed to reflect the fact that, like air, people cannot do without their mobile phones.

From next spring, the BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium, home of the Boro, will be known as the O2 Riverside Stadium.

But for a team floundering at second from bottom in the Premiership, the new name is uncomfortably like the scoreline of a two-goal home defeat.

And as Middlesbrough have lost three out of three this season and are yet to score a Premiership goal, the new name may prove a gift to visiting fans.

However, Rob Nichols, editor of the Boro fanzine Fly Me to the Moon, said the new name would not concern the fans. "I don't think people will care," he said. "One good thing is that it's less of a mouthful."

A spokeswoman for the stadium said: "Nothing will happen this season. The contract for shirt sponsorship expires next season, so we will have to discuss that situation then."