Southgate: 'No distractions'

Middlesbrough v Charlton Athletic 
FA Cup Sixth Round Replay
8.05pm, Wednesday 12 April 2006 
The Riverside Stadium
Live on BBC 
Winning club receives £300,000 £265,000 television payment for each club


Middlesbrough captain Gareth Southgate insists his side's UEFA Cup heroics against Basel will not distract them from their bid for FA Cup glory.

Steve McClaren's men will be attempting to reach their second semi-final in six days when they host Charlton Athletic in their FA Cup quarter-final replay. Boro suffered a European hangover on Sunday when they were beaten 2-1 at home by derby rivals Newcastle United.

That setback came in the wake of the fabulous four-goal fightback against Basel on an unforgettable night at the Riverside last Thursday.

Boro have struggled in the Premiership this season, but Southgate stressed: "We've kept the season alive for ourselves in the cup competitions. We're looking at the two competitions completely separately and the FA Cup is still a fantastic competition for us - and for everybody.

"We've seen the full romance of it this season, going to Nuneaton, Coventry and Preston. We've had some big crowds for the two replays and I think Charlton are bringing 5,000 fans with them, so it shows the competition is still very much alive.

"In terms of facing Charlton, Sunday was probably a good thing. It gave us something to focus on after last Thursday. Everybody was a bit flat on Sunday; people were still on a high from Thursday. For once, a local derby didn't seem the most important game of the week.''

Boro and Charlton drew 0-0 at The Valley nearly three weeks ago, and Southgate added: "I think it will be similar to the game there. They're a very competitive team. Their front players are a handful and they have a good record at the Riverside, so they'll be wanting to extend that.

"We'll have to be at our very best to beat them. They're a team who fight to the end. Alan Curbishley has done a brilliant job there over the years and we've had some tough games against them.

"We would have liked to have gone through at The Valley because we played well on the night, but we have it all to do again. The stats tell you we're a cup team, and we certainly have the players who can raise their game for the big occasion.''

The winners play West Ham, while Chelsea and Liverpool will contest the other semi-final.

But Southgate maintained: "At the moment, it's a great draw for West Ham and no-one else. Of course, everybody would want to avoid Chelsea and Liverpool if they could, but we can't be looking any further than Charlton.''

Boro have injury worries, especially in defence. Left-back Franck Queudrue is doubtful after receiving a head wound and stitches for the second successive game.

With Emanuel Pogatetz out for the rest of the season with a broken nose and cheek, 19-year-old Andrew Taylor is on standby. Stuart Parnaby is set to return at right-back, with Andrew Davies cup-tied.