AFTER the three-point display at the Dell it's a blank weekend for Boro as the final game at Wembley, England v Germany, takes centre stage.

The main Riverside focus is to get the home form right in time for the visit of Newcastle. Central defender Colin Cooper recognises recognises the priority.

He said: "The home performances have not been right so far and we know it. The fans are desperate for us to do well and possibly it adds a little pressure - but the Riverside should be a place where opposition teams are wary of coming and that's what we want to happen."

Newcastle's visit will be special for the fans and local players such as Cooper; who said: "It's a sign of the modern game that there are not too many local players involved in derbys. With the number of foreign players in the Premiership there is always the chance that derbys won't mean as much, but all the players who come out of our dressing room for the Newcastle game will have only thought - three points."

Phil Stamp is another local lad desperate for a Boro win. He said: "I know what it means to be fans and to beat Newcastle to get our first home win of the season would be fantastic. I believe that the squad we have can achieve Europe this season but the start had been disjointed due to injuries but with a full squad we should do well."

Boro against Newcastle is on Monday, October 16, with an 8pm kick off