STEVE McClaren last night admitted the balls had fallen in Middlesbrough's favour during the FA Cup semi-final draw, but warned his players to concentrate on a Riverside replay with Charlton before dreaming of a last-four showdown with West Ham.

With former Crystal Palace skipper Geoff Thomas having already drawn Chelsea and Liverpool out of the hat, Boro were already guaranteed their dream draw when ball number one was chosen at Soho Square.

Avoiding champions elect Chelsea was obviously the number one priority but, with Liverpool having scored 15 goals in the space of a week, missing the men from Anfield could prove every bit as important when the semi-finals take place at neutral venues on the weekend of April 22.

Significantly, the meeting of Chelsea and Liverpool means the winners of the other semi-final are almost guaranteed a place in next season's UEFA Cup.

Ironically, Boro are already playing West Ham in a Premiership home game on April 17 but, before they can contemplate a double header, they will have to dispose of Charlton following Thursday night's bore draw at the Valley.

And, while the Teessiders will be confident of making the most of home advantage, McClaren is urging his players not to get too far ahead of themselves as this most arduous of season approaches its climax.

"It's a good draw but let's not forget we have a very tough replay against Charlton first," said McClaren.

"All three teams (Boro, Charlton and West Ham) will be delighted and feel they have a chance. The fact is, it's a great incentive for us to go and win the replay against Charlton."

Boro are back in cup action next Thursday when they travel to Switzerland for the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final against FC Basle but, before they dig out their passports again, the Teessiders first face the unenviable task of attempting to derail Bolton's European bandwagon.

The Trotters lie seventh at the start of this weekend's action and, while they desperately need three points tomorrow to stay on terms with the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Blackburn, Boro's own need for Premiership points remains significant.

A ten-point lead over 18th-placed Birmingham is likely to be sufficient given the magnitude of the Blues' midweek capitulation, but the Teessiders could still do with at least one more win to permanently banish the spectre of the drop.

It may have already come had McClaren not felt the need to radically alter his team for their league fixtures but, while his patched-up Premiership side has lost two on the bounce, he will continue to chop and change in the final six weeks of the season.

"If we go all the way in both the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, we will still have 17 games to play," said the Boro boss. "We've already played a record number of games this season, so the demands in this final couple of months are going to be massive.

"There is absolutely no way that anybody can play in every single game. They couldn't do it at any time of the year, but they certainly can't do it now when the games are so critical.

"Different people are capable of different things.

"A lot depends on the age of your squad, and a player's age will often dictate whether they can play in those games.

"But, whatever their ages, they are incapable of playing in everything.

"Ideally, you would like to play your strongest side in every game but, in the modern game, that's an absolute impossibility."

Nevertheless, tomorrow's side is likely to bear at least a passing resemblance to the starting XI that lined up at the Valley.

Mark Schwarzer, Stuart Parnaby, Ugo Ehiogu and Franck Queudrue are likely to retain their places in defence, while George Boateng and Lee Cattermole - both suspended for the first leg in Basle - are expected to appear in midfield.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.