Middlesbrough handed out a lesson in quick fire football and returned home with a specially arranged LDV Trophy with a 3-2 win at St Mirren.

The biggest mystery of the 90 minutes was that they did not win by a much greater margin.

Despite that scoreline, however, the Saints fans enjoyed the entertainment and the Premiership side's sparkling play.

Indeed, Middlesbrough could have been four up inside the first 20 minutes as they cut huge gaps in the Scottish Club's defence but were off target.

Incredibly it was Saints who went ahead on the half hour mark when Mark Yardley outjumped the defenders to head in from 12 yards.

Just a minute later, Dean Gordon equalised with a blistering 25-yard drive and it was no surprise when after 36 minutes Noel Whelan's shot came back off a post and Hamilton Ricard was on the spot to knock in the rebound.

However, Saints struck back six minutes into the second half when Ricky Gillies equalised from the penalty spot.

But that scoreline would have been a travesty and after 58 minutes when a Philip Stamp drive came back off the woodwork, Robbie Mustoe knocked in the winner.

Boro: Bennion, Stamp, Gordon, Vickers, Pallister, Wilford (Hanson 63), Maddison (Summerbell 46), Mustoe, Whelan, Marinelli, Ricard (Armstrong 46).

l Middlesbrough will decide whether to go ahead with a £4.5m move for defender Lucien Mettomo in the next 48 hours.

Bryan Robson is awaiting a medical report on the St Etienne centre-back and the results should be available on Monday.

The Boro boss, away checking a transfer target over the weekend, has been impressed with the rugged defender during a ten-day trial.

His assistant, Viv Anderson, watched Mettomo play 90 minutes for Cameroon in the 1-1 draw against France in Paris on Wednesday and produced a favourable report.

But Boro need to know the extent of the knee injury that caused the 23-year-old to fail a medical at Blackburn last month.

If Boro push through a deal, they will have to negotiate with John Toshack, who was appointed manager of the French club yesterday.

l England Under-21s were denied a goal which echoed the 1966 World Cup final before Germany scored a late equaliser to snatch a point in a European Championship qualifier at Pride Park.

Leeds striker Alan Smith's first-half header was clearly over the line before the ball was hooked back into play by Tobias Willi via the crossbar.

It mirrored the second of Geoff Hurst's goals on the way to his hat-trick on that never-to-be-forgotten day at the Twin Towers 34 years ago.

But this time the officials ruled in favour of the Germans and, after Ipswich defender Titus Bramble had scored in first-half injury-time, the Germans levelled matters three minutes from time through Fabian Ernst.

Howard Wilkinson's side also had Liverpool defender Stephen Wright sent off mid-way through the second half but the ten men looked as if they would hold on to earn the three points before German skipper Ernst struck.

England's side will take time to gel together but there were signs of encouragement with defender Wes Brown outstanding and Smith impressive upfront. Brown came close to snatching victory in the closing seconds with a header