Southgate relishes United visit

Updated 09.32 Wed Feb 28 2007
Keywords: West Brom, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, FA Cup, Reading

Gareth Southgate is relishing the visit of Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after Middlesbrough overcame West Bromwich Albion 5-4 on penalties at The Hawthorns.

But Boro only booked their place in the last eight of the competition via a penalty shoot-out after Mark Viduka cancelled out Darren Carter's 26th-minute opener for the Baggies

"The Manchester United game is brilliant for us and I am chuffed for the fans. The club has been under the spotlight as the season has gone on and we have turned a big corner in a lot of ways" - Gareth Southgate

Southgate said: "The Manchester United game is brilliant for us and I am chuffed for the fans. The club has been under the spotlight as the season has gone on and we have turned a big corner in a lot of ways.

"The fans have had to ride some shaky moments earlier in the season but, having given the large contingent at West Brom an occasion to remember, a quarter-final at home against the best side in the country is fantastic to look forward to.

"It is a great tie for our club. We put the fans who came to West Brom through the mill but they have gone home happy with a game in the next round to really relish."

Manchester United booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-2 win at Reading - the Red Devils were three-up inside the opening six minute with Gabriel Heinze, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer among the goals, only for Leroy Lita's late strike to give the visitors a scare late on after Dave Kitson had pulled one back.

After the game Sir Alex Ferguson claimed his decision to make mass changes ensured that the Red Devils survived a mighty FA Cup scare at the Madejski Stadium where the crossbar denied the Royals and Brynjar Gunnarsson an injury-time equaliser.

Ferguson, who retained only three men from the 2-1 win at Fulham on Saturday, said: "We put out a completely fresh team and it was a wise decision.

"They pummelled us in the second half. They are a very good team and the best in the league at crossing the ball. We had fantastic chances to kill the game but we kept running with the ball and on a pitch like that it just doesn't work.

"We kept giving them lifeline after lifeline and when they scored a second with six or seven minutes to go anything could have happened. In the end, we managed to ride our luck and we have come through a magnificent cup tie."

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