Southgate urges final push

Captain Gareth Southgate is calling on his Middlesbrough FC team-mates to end an incredible season on a high with Sevilla FC waiting in Wednesday night's UEFA Cup final.

Unpredictable campaign
The former English international centre-back has overseen an astonishing few months on Teesside which has included flirting with relegation, reaching the latter stages of both domestic cups and now, a first appearance in a European final prior to the departure of manager Steve McClaren, who will take charge of England in August. That run to Eindhoven has seen nerve-shredding victories on away goals against VfB Stuttgart and AS Roma and then astounding turnarounds against FC Basel 1893 and FC Steaua Bucuresti when Middlesbrough fought back from three goals down on each occasion.

'Highs and lows'
Even at the age of 35 and at the end of his 16th season as a professional, Southgate admits he has never seen anything like it. "It's been an incredible season for highs and lows and this incredible cup run has epitomised that," he told uefa.com. "After the quarter-final against Basel everybody said 'you'll never see a game like that again', and then they came back three weeks later and saw a better one. We've given everybody some fantastic nights, not just those last two games but away in Rome, away in Stuttgart; those were games we weren't necessarily fancied to win, ties we weren't fancied to go through in. It's been a fantastic achievement so far, but we want to go one step further."

'Big-game players'
Middlesbrough's team is an intriguing blend of youth and experience, with the club's academy providing the likes of Stewart Downing and Stuart Parnaby - two of 16 homegrown players to have represented the senior side this term - and Southgate and others offering invaluable know-how. "When you get to occasions like this experience is crucial," said Southgate. "We have youth in our side but there is experience around so it's an ideal combination in many respects. Big games need big-game players and you have to know how to approach these matches. We're looking forward to it with relish rather than being intimidated."

'Nothing to fear'
Middlesbrough's remarkable progress has had some observers suggesting luck is on their side in the UEFA Cup, but Southgate prefers to deal in the practicalities. "It would be wrong to have the impression that our name's on the cup, there's still a lot of work to be done," he said. "We'll have to play very well but we're 90 minutes away from making history. Cup football is about how you perform on the day and we've shown that on our day we can perform against the very best. Sevilla will be a test like that but no harder than we've had already. There's nothing to fear, we've got the confidence having beaten Roma, who were the favourites, and having recovered the positions we have done we know we're never out of a game."

'Fantasy land'
Middlesbrough town centre has been a sea of red and white since Steaua were defeated a fortnight ago, and Southgate is aware that the anticipation across Teesside has risen close to fever pitch. "There's real excitement here, not just around the club but around the town," he said. "These occasions don't happen to any club very often and for ours to be involved in a final in only our second season in European competition is fantasy land. There's a real buzz among the players, but we're able to share that with everybody around the town and that makes it even more special."