JASON Steele will make his first start of the season as Middlesbrough entertain Millwall this afternoon.

Steele fractured his wrist during pre-season and has been forced to miss the first two months of the current campaign.

However, he played for 75 minutes of a development game with Blackburn this week and replaces Carl Ikeme, who injured his hand in training this week.

In total, Boro boss Tony Mowbray has made three changes to the side that drew with Reading in their last outing.

Kevin Thomson and Julio Arca replace Justin Hoyte and Faris Haroun, with Boro expected to adopt a 4-4-2 formation rather than the 4-3-3 system they have fielded in recent games.

Thomson makes his first league start of the season having recovered from the leg injury that hampered him for most of last term.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Steele; McMahon, Bates, R Williams, Bennett; Robson, Bailey, Thomson, Arca; Emnes, McDonald.

Subs: Hoyte, McManus, Martin, Haroun, Nimely.

MILLWALL (4-4-2): Forde; Barron, Mkandawire, Ward, Robinson; Abdou, Howard, Trotter, Feeney; Agyemang, Henderson.

Subs: Mildenhall (gk), Henry, Simpson, Smith, N'Guessan.