Boost for Boro

First, it was found that the injury to Jonathan Greening was not as bad as first feared. A scan revealed that there was bruising to his hip and that it was not a re-occurence of the groin injury that he had recently.

He has not been ruled out of Boro's Easter program but it will be a battle against time if he is to make it.

The second, and probably more important boost, was the news that Arsenal's Robert Pires would be sidelined for the rest of the season with cruciate ligament damage. The injury will also rule the influential Frenchman out of the World Cup.

I would not normally wish injury on any player but wouldn't it be nice if Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry also picked up knocks in the next few weeks.

Boro will be without captain Paul Ince for the semi-final after he picked up a stupid booking against Man. United on Saturday. The poor decision by referee Steve Bennett has cost Ince the chance of a semi-final appearance.

Ince said " I don't mind getting booked for challenges, but to be booked for deliberate handball when the ball is kicked straight at me is shocking. I don't think there's any way I can appeal over it, so that rules me out of the semi-final and I'm devastated."

Boro keeper mark Crossley was withdrawn from the Wales squad after he picked up a knee injury in training.