The consensus of opinion about tomorrow’s televised game at Middlesbrough  is that the Smoggies see it as their biggest game of the season, while Leeds really can’t take them seriously as local rivals.

All week the various Middlesboro fans’ websites and the Teesside local press have been building up this game as THE local derby for the Smoggies, and looking back nostalgically about games between the two clubs in the seventies and the eighties. And the attendance seems certain to be their highest of the season, beating the previous best of 21,882 against Ipswich on the opening day.  

They would have had an even bigger gate if they’d given Leeds a bigger allocation than the 4,000 tickets they’ve actually given us, but apparently they don’t want to move the season ticket-holders from the south-east corner, so they don’t have another section to accommodate any more away fans. This is an excellent example of how to throw money away, when the stadium will be about 10,000 below capacity, while there were other Leeds fans who wanted to come to the game but couldn’t get tickets.

Boro were among the favourites for promotion before the season began, not least because the ‘parachute payments’ they receive from the Premier League have given them a big advantage over almost every other club in the division. But their form has been disappointing so far, and with the club stuck in the bottom half of the table, it’s not surprising that manager Gordon Strachan is under quite a bit of pressure.

Even so, Simon Grayson was determined not to underestimate them when he spoke to the official site, especially as Boro’s three wins this season have all come on their own ground.  "Nothing's won in October. There's nobody promoted or relegated. With the players Middlesbrough have it's only a matter of time before they start climbing. Gordon has a great reputation as a coach and as a manager. They're only just below halfway down the league, they're not stranded, but we'll go there and look to do the right things right, and hopefully come away with a positive result”.

Leeds will have one new face in the squad for the trip to Teesside, as Tottenham goalkeeper Ben Alnwick has arrived on a 28-day loan, to cover for the injured Schmeichel and Higgs. The 22-year-old started his career with Sunderland, where he made 22 appearances before joining Spurs in a £900,000 deal three years ago. But although the official site are describing him as a “Premier League player”, he has yet to make an appearance for the White Hart Lane mob.  

Billy Paynter  and Ben Parker could both be joining Alnwick  in the squad after playing for the Reserves in midweek,   and Paul Connolly might have recovered from his hamstring problem. But Alex Bruce will be serving a one match suspension after his sending off at Ipswich, so presumably we will have to put up with the Naylor/Collins partnership in central defence once again. Oh, joy of joys!

Meanwhile Boro have quite a few selection problems of their own.  In midfield Barry Robson begins a three-match suspension following his red card in the last match against Portsmouth two weeks ago, Mickael Tavares is battling against a virus, and Kevin Thomson is struggling for fitness as he makes a comeback from a broken leg. And we will be denied the chance to see our former defensive stalwart Matt Kilgallon, who is still out with a back injury. But they have better news concerning Gary O'Neil, Julio Arca and Justin Hoyte, all of whom are expected to be available after recovering from various injuries in the past two weeks.

So what to predict for this game? I think that with Boro’s half-decent home record and our dodgy defence a draw would be a good result for Leeds, and I think that we might just get one.

Photo: Action Images

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