Boro forced to go with kids

Middlesbrough arrived in Ostrava ahead of tonight's UEFA Cup match with a squad ravaged by injury.

Manager Steve McClaren is without seven star names for the second leg of the club's first-round tie against Banik Ostrava.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Joseph-Desire Job, Mark Viduka, Ray Parlour, Chris Riggott, Ugo Ehiogu and Michael Reiziger were all absent from the travelling party.

McClaren named seven teenagers in his squad, six of whom were members of last season's FA Youth Cup-winning team, as Boro set out to defend a 3-0 first-leg advantage.