FOUR weeks ago, Ugo Ehiogu was pencilling in Middlesbrough's trip to West Brom as an opportunity to lock horns with a club that shaped his career. It still is, just not in the way the former England international expected.

After joining West Brom's youth set-up as a 13-year-old trainee, Ehiogu was hours away from a return to the Hawthorns when events took an unexpected turn at the end of last month.

With Franck Queudrue having broken down with a knee injury, Middlesbrough desperately tried to pull the plug on the 33-year-old's transfer to the Baggies despite him having passed a medical and agreed an 18-month deal in the Midlands.

At first, Ehiogu stood firm but, while the three parties haggled over what would happen next, West Brom refused to match his personal terms and he was finally forced to admit defeat and head back to the Riverside.

The current situation represents an uneasy truce but the protracted wrangling has left a sour taste with all involved. Middlesbrough's fans booed the veteran centre-half on to the field when he replaced Chris Riggott in last month's 3-2 defeat to Wigan, while Ehiogu is still desperate to secure regular first-team football as quickly as possible.

He insists he remains committed to Middlesbrough, though, and while this weekend's relegation battle had once looked like pitting him against the Teessiders, his loyalties will be anything but divided tomorrow afternoon.

"I'm a professional and I'll handle things professionally," said Ehiogu, who is currently in his sixth season in the North-East since making an £8m move from Aston Villa in October 2000. "There's no question of there being a conflict of interests or anything like that.

"It could have been a very different weekend. We were talking about the game on the bench on Thursday night and some of the lads were laughing about what might have been.

"It's strange how things turn out. At one stage it looked like things were done and dusted and, had the move gone through, it would have been very weird to have played against Middlesbrough this weekend.

"But I know the situation and I don't hold any grudges. I can fully understand why Steve (McClaren) felt he had to bring me back and I totally respect that decision.

"There was no problem at all from my point of view and that's still the case. The only disappointment is that it was all a bit messy.

"Keith (Lamb) and the chairman have been very honest and very open with me from the start. I don't have a problem with the way they dealt with things and I was kept fully updated as the situation was going on."

The result, though, is that Ehiogu is back on the bench as his career begins to draw to a close. He made 11 senior starts last season and has featured in just four Premiership fixtures since the end of September.

With Chris Riggott and Gareth Southgate forming an imposing barrier at the back, that situation is unlikely to change in the final three months of the campaign.

"From a personal point of view, it's really just a case of keeping myself fit for the time when a chance comes along," said Ehiogu. "I'm trying to get a game wherever possible but, for one reason or another, it's not proving to be easy.

"I know the situation that I came back to and I don't have a problem with that. Obviously, I would rather be playing more games than I am but, at the moment, that's out of my hands."

With McClaren having initially deemed Ehiogu surplus to requirements last month, it would be a major surprise if the defender did not finally complete his move to the Hawthorns in the summer. What league West Brom will be playing in by that stage, though, is far harder to call.

The Baggies will kick off tomorrow's game with a six-point gap over 18th-placed Birmingham. Boro are only two points clear of Bryan Robson's side, but an away win tomorrow would go a long way towards turning the relegation battle into a four-horse race.

Ten months ago, Ehiogu was delighted to see his former employers become the first club to stay in the Premiership despite being bottom of the league at Christmas. While they have performed much better in the first half of this season, he expects their current task to be every bit as tough.

"Last season, I thought they were dead and buried," said Ehiogu. "At about Christmas time, it looked as though they were really going to struggle.

"This season, things are obviously a bit different because we're involved as well. It's a major surprise that we're down there, but I'd like to see both clubs do well.

"Having said that, though, I think they could have a struggle on their hands looking at the clubs that are in and around us. It's going to be a tough time for everyone.

"In a perfect world, we win (tomorrow) and they stay up. In a really perfect world, we kick on to finish in sixth and they push on to finish in mid-table."

With Robson at the helm at the Hawthorns, it would be foolish to rule that out.

The former Boro boss engineered a remarkable turnaround when he replaced Gary Megson halfway through last season and Ehiogu has seen enough of his motivational skills to know he remains a formidable man-manager.

"Bryan was crucial to my career and I'll always wish him the best," he said.

"Very few people have achieved what he did as a player and everyone involved in the game respects that.

"The way he treats people as a manager speaks volumes for the type of person that he is.