FA Cup Fifth round/ Preston North End 0 Middlesbrough 2: When Steve McClaren told his players they were going to spend a few days in Spain on a bonding break last month there were more than a few mutterings of discontent. Quite apart from the wet and chilly weather forecast for Marbella that week, certain first-teamers seemingly could not see the point and privately predicted it might do more harm than good.
Such doom-mongers appeared justified when Aston Villa subsequently thrashed Middlesbrough at The Riverside but, since then, Chelsea, Stuttgart and now Preston have been soundly beaten and pundits are even talking of McClaren as a potential England manager again. "People thought the break in Spain was a strange idea at the time but it's been so important to us," said the Boro defender Chris Riggott. "We re-focused and re-grouped. It's changed our season."
If Middlesbrough are enjoying a new beginning as they anticipate today's quarter-final draw, Preston discovered that all good things must come to an end. Yet with a cup upset proving beyond a side who nevertheless boasted the lion's share of possession and greater number of chances, the conclusion of their 25-game unbeaten run at least leaves Billy Davies's side free to concentrate on pursuing promotion from the Championship.
Middlesbrough - who had only three efforts on target, scoring from two of them, and no corners - offered Preston an insight into just how tough life may be if they reach the Premiership next season. "We've learnt it can be a cruel game," said Davies. "We had so much possession but Middlesbrough's formation is very difficult to break down and you saw the difference in quality of finishing."
McClaren believes the result owes much to work-outs in the Marbella drizzle. "Spain has been vital to us - it was important because we got back to basics and being hard to beat. We've been stronger since coming back. We didn't play very well today but we were difficult to beat and ground out a result."
Content to sit back and allow Preston the ball they did not threaten Carlo Nash during a first period in which Davies's men - for whom David Nugent saw an 18-yard shot, the first of four chances he was to direct slightly off target, deflected away for a corner - were generally stymied by the massed visiting defensive ranks with Riggott's magnificent interception denying Patrick Agyemang a near-certain goal.
Deciding greater vibrancy was required, McClaren changed his system at the break, introducing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as he switched to 4-4-2. The new half had barely begun before Hasselbaink's adroit flick found Yakubu Aiyegbeni, who used his left foot to bend a first-time half-volley around Nash and into the far corner. Stewart Downing then whipped in a free-kick to the far post from, where Yakubu headed his second goal of the game and 18th of a season seemingly re-ignited under Spanish rain clouds.
