GIVEN the speed with which he has turned his side's season around, Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren could be forgiven for displaying a certain degree of self-satisfaction.

In the fortnight since an irate fan flung a season ticket in his face, McClaren has guided his side to an FA Cup replay win over Coventry, a resounding three-goal victory against champions elect Chelsea and, most recently, a 2-1 success in Stuttgart that leaves them on the verge of the UEFA Cup's last 16.

The trauma that accompanied this month's 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa has not been forgotten but, with tomorrow's FA Cup fifth-round clash with Preston offering the opportunity of further progress along the road to redemption, McClaren's long-standing optimism suddenly appears far more well placed.

Not, though, that the Boro boss would admit as much himself. Yesterday's return flight from Germany offered a brief opportunity for reflection as his players basked in the glory of their Thursday-night exploits in the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion.

And, while McClaren is happy with his squad's response to a month of misery, he insists it is far too early to consider their resurrection complete.

"Is there a smile returning to the face of the football club? No, it's too soon to say that," said McClaren, who expects to have midfielders Gaizka Mendieta and Lee Cattermole available for this weekend's game.

"There is not a smile on the face of this football club at the moment, there is a grimace and a quiet determination to prove people wrong.

"I think that sort of attitude is present and we won't be smiling until we've achieved something. Hopefully, that will be the case at the end of the season.

"Going through this spell, we're facing things through gritted teeth. A few weeks ago, it was about sticking together in the dressing room and proving those people wrong who had criticised us previously. Since then, nothing has changed."

Off the field, perhaps that is the case. On it, Boro have re-discovered the steely determination that made them such an effective unit last season.

After a series of uncharacteristic errors, Gareth Southgate and Chris Riggott have returned to their usual reliable selves while, in midfield, the return of George Boateng has had an instant stabilising effect.

Suddenly the Teessiders look hard to beat and, while the free-flowing football the fans crave remains restricted to fits and starts, the foundations of a more substantial recovery appear to be well and truly in place.

"Villa was the blip," admitted McClaren. "But we've rallied since then. There were a lot of people talking about an unhappy dressing room and they were quite right - it was unhappy, but only because we weren't winning games.

"At the present moment, we're progressing well and winning matches, so we're an awful lot happier. But we've had the down side in recent times, so we know what might be just around the corner. We have to guard against that and not take things for granted.

"Although we're getting results at the moment, we're still not satisfied with the performances. People have criticised us for performances but, if we didn't have the right spirit and attitude, we wouldn't have been getting the results."

That spirit and attitude will certainly be needed tomorrow as Boro take on Championship high-fliers Preston.

Billy Davies' side has not lost since late September - a run of 25 consecutive matches - and the Lancashire club has never lost an FA Cup fifth-round tie at Deepdale.

Boro, on the other hand, have won just two of the 14 games they have played on a Sunday after a UEFA Cup outing the previous week. After scares at both Nuneaton and Coventry in previous rounds, tomorrow's game certainly has the potential to provide further discomfort.

"We know that Preston will provide a totally different challenge," said McClaren. "And we also know from what has happened this season that there can be shocks in games like these. We could be in for another shock (tomorrow) and we have to guard against that.

"Preston are in the play-offs, very close to the Premier League, and there is not a big gap between the top six or seven in the Championship and most of the clubs in the Premier League.

"Billy Davies has been very impressive since he took over the club and the length of their unbeaten run proves just how good they are.

"They like to play football and we certainly won't be taking anything for granted."

Boateng is expected to be available for tomorrow's game despite sustaining a knock on his ankle in the second half of Thursday night's win.

Mendieta's return should enable Stuart Parnaby to return to his preferred position of right back, while Aiyegbeni Yakubu is likely to replace Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink up front despite the latter's rich vein of form.

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