Middlesbrough and Newcastle go head-to-head on Monday with both fighting against relegation. Sports Writer Andy Richardson recalls the last day of the season drama in 1990 that saw Boro dramatically avoid the drop by beating their local rivals.

WITH the spectre of relegation hovering over both the Riverside and St James’ Park, Monday’s Tyne-Tees derby has been billed as the mother of all battles between the North- East rivals.

Middlesbrough fans of a certain age can remember the grandmother.

On a sunny afternoon at Ayresome Park 19 years ago, victory over Newcastle on the final day of the season rescued the Teessiders from relegation and laid the foundations for Boro’s subsequent renaissance.

The result had such significance for the home side it spawned a TV movie starring comedian Johnny Vegas and penned by sports writer, and Boro fan, Harry Pearson.

If the film, Staying Up, is now largely forgotten, the game remains part of Middlesbrough folklore.

Colin Todd could hardly have faced a tougher task in his first season in management. After the sacking of Bruce Rioch in March, assistant manager Todd took charge of a team in freefall and tasked by the club’s board to stave off relegation.

“The message was clear, we just couldn’t go down, it was unthinkable,” recalled Todd who was given 13 games to prevent the club making a return to Division Three.

“Things weren’t going too well and Bruce left the club. It was my first step into management in terms of taking charge of the club on my own. I’d been number two to Bruce and learned a lot under him but now it was all down to me, nowhere to hide and no-one else to share the blame. So those last 13 games, culminating in the match with Newcastle, was a hell of a time for me to learn my trade.”

Under Todd’s guidance, Boro picked up impressive victories against Bradford and Oldham, but entered the season’s closing week knowing victory had to be secured in one of their two remaining games: against Barnsley or promotionchasing Newcastle.

A 1-0 defeat to the Tykes in their penultimate fixture, left Boro with one final chance to save their season.

Jim Smith’s Magpies had lost only one of their previous ten matches as they made a late bid to pip Sheffield United for an automatic promotion place.

They arrived at Ayresome Park in confident mood with playmaker Kevin Brock’s 16 goals spearheading their impressive charge back to the top-flight.

Middlesbrough defender Colin Cooper recalled the build-up to the game on Teesside.

“As a group of players we tried to block out all of the hype surrounding the match.

Any derby has a special significance but this one was something else entirely. There were a lot of local lads in our side so we needed no reminding how vital it was that we beat the Geordies.

“The first goal is all important on these occasions.

You’d think we’d have been low on confidence after having a poor season but there were some strong characters in that team and that’s always vital in huge games like this.

“We had to get the first goal.

The atmosphere was tense, you could sense it from the crowd even though they were doing all they could to get behind us.”

On the hour mark, Paul Kerr skipped past Ray Ranson before crossing deep towards the far post. Bernie Slaven side-footed against the inside of John Burridge’s upright, and the ball trundled across the line.

Nowadays, Slaven’s celebratory leap on to the barriers where he was mobbed by Boro fans would earn the goal-poacher a yellow card.

Bouyed by their early breakthrough, the home side’s pre-match nerves evaporated.

“Once we got that first goal the tension lifted,” said Cooper. “We got a huge boost of confidence and energy and it put them on the back foot.

It’s amazing what a goal can do.”

Todd noted that the nucleus of his squad had been through the chastening experience of seeing the club nearly going out of business and against Newcastle, they dug deep in to their reserves of character.

Todd added: “We’d been through a tough time together and that adversity brought the squad closer together. Because of the financial problems a couple of years earlier, everyone was told they were able to leave the club if they chose. But we stuck together.

Only Brian Laws moved on but the rest of us – the likes of Colin Cooper, Stephen Pears, Bernie, Alan Kernaghan – all stayed behind.

“When you’re facing a game like the Newcastle match you try to get the players relaxed.

It was so hectic and people at the club were getting nervous when it looked like we were going down. But that’s when you earn your corn as a manager by shouldering a lot of extra pressure.”

A horribly misjudged back header by Newcastle defender John Anderson, allowed Slaven to set up Ian Baird to grab Boro’s second. But with a 2-0 lead, the Teessiders were far from home and dry. With just 20 minutes remaining, Cooper upended Brock on the edge of the penalty box and the Magpies midfielder sent in a dipping free kick that deflected into the net off fullback Owen McGee.

If Boro were deflated, they didn’t show it and continued to take the game to the visitors. Baird’s stunning halfvolley and another trademark Slaven tap in at the death secured an unforgettable 4-1 victory.

Todd remembered the scenes at the final whistle.

“We still didn’t know we were safe because we needed Leeds to win down at Bournemouth,” he said. “I remember the lads coming off the pitch but while the crowd were celebrating.”

Once news of Leeds’ victory at Dean Court filtered through to the dressing room, Todd sent his players out for a lap of honour.

“During that summer we were able to bring in John Hendrie and Robbie Mustoe – both who became great servants of the club,” said Todd. “We can look back with pride to what we achieved that afternoon at Ayresome Park and Bruce takes some of the credit too because, after all, they were his players.

“The club has since gone on to build something amazing – winning the League Cup, reaching the UEFA Cup final and their long run in the Premier League. I’d like to think that we helped lay the foundations for what was to come. Goodness knows where Middlesbrough would be now if we’d been relegated.”

■ Todd and Cooper were speaking at the annual Middlesbrough former players association golf day, which was held this week at Wynyard Golf Club