Southgate hails Boro fortitude

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate praised the "courage and character" of his side after overcoming West Brom to set up an FA Cup quarter-final with Manchester United at the Riverside Stadium.

Boro were second best in the opening 45 minutes and were fortunately to only be trailing to a goal from Darren Carter. But a goal from Mark Viduka forced the game into extra time and then Boro edged home 5-4 on penalties to reach the last eight for the second successive season.

Southgate said: "I think we've now had something like five or six replays in the last two seasons in the FA Cup so we are never short of entertainment value in this competition. I have got to give the players tremendous credit for the way they rallied."

He added: "We were really poor in the first half, not positive or aggressive enough. We were on the back foot and West Brom were by far the better side.

"We said at half time if we are going to go out, let's make a real fight of it rather than go out with a whimper. To play the way they did after the first half showed a lot of courage and character and we could have won the game before extra time.

"I think a lot of people thought West Brom would go through once they had drawn at our place and after the way we played in the first half those people must have thought we were definitely going out.

"But we came back and now have a brilliant tie to look forward to against Manchester United at our place.

"We have put through the mill the fans who have travelled down here but now we've got a quarter final at home against the best team in the country and it will be a brilliant occasion to look forward to."

Sunderland manager Roy Keane watched the game from the stands ahead of Saturday's meeting with West Brom and Baggies manager Tony Mowbray believes the Irishman would have been delighted with the outcome.

Mowbray said: "I am sure the happiest man will have been Roy Keane. We have talked about it being a big week with the game coming up as well on Saturday and we've gone on to extra time and penalties and had a man sent off (Nathan Ellington). It was a poor scenario for us. But I am delighted with the performance."