Middlesbrough’s demolition of Yeovil might appear to be an expected hammering of a lower league club by expensive Premiership opposition. Yet whilst Boro fans aren’t the only ones to have suffered cup shocks in recent years, it has unfortunately been a regular and in certain quarters not surprising occurrence for a club who finally managed to bag silverware in 2004 after a 128 year wait.

Until their Carling Cup victory, Middlesbrough were always destined to be the bridesmaid - never the bride. Since the summer of 1986 when the club almost went out of existence, several invisible barriers have been overcome, barriers that certainly in the minds of the fans always stood between the club and success. Yet one still appears to remain - the ability to beat the best yet lose to apparently inferior opposition. Their FA Cup quarter final exit to Cardiff was a prime example. Never having won the FA Cup - indeed they have only reached the final once losing to Chelsea - undoubtedly 2008 was a major opportunity for Boro to win at Wembley. The defeat when the big four had all fallen was a huge blow when hopes had been raised so high.

Criticism was directed at the manager following Boro’s early league cup exit, this time blamed upon the decision to field a relatively inexperienced team. Tuesday night against Yeovil saw a virtually full strength team effectively dispatch with ease a potential stumbling block to further progression. Whilst the likes of Man U and Arsenal have frequently blooded young players in the early rounds of such competitions - sometimes to their cost - teams like Middlesbrough do not possess the strength in depth of their more prosperous peers and despite a youth academy admired far and wide, a 7-goal hammering by Arsenal a little while ago proved this point.

Gareth Southgate clearly continues to learn lessons in management. His development continues to show in his decisions. The goalkeeping position was one potential disaster waiting to happen. Three goals conceded in two games could tell a story yet two of them were own goals and the other was a contender for goal of the month at the very least. Given that both keepers vying for the number one shirt have now played and a classy winning display against Spurs was followed by an equally assured performance in front of the Kop which deserved better than a 2-1 defeat, Boro appear to be progressing. A professional job completed against Yeovil is another step, akin to the Boro of 10 years ago who with a team including Juninho, Emerson (the good Emerson as opposed to the bad), and Ravanelli blew away all in their wake to reach their first major domestic cup final at Wembley only for internal strife and tactical-shortcomings to ultimately seal their fate.

Now, I am in now way suggesting that this current crop wearing the red and white are full of players of the like most Boro fans had never seen. Yet that team of 1997/8 actually delivered nothing but misery. Two cup final defeats, relegation, and in-fighting that made the barrage of insults hurled from Teesside in the direction of the Premier League whose 3-point deduction was directly responsible for that relegation seem like handbags at three paces.

Gareth Southgate did something no other Middlesbrough player has done before or since. Wilf Mannion, George Hardwick, Brian Clough, Tony Mowbray, all legendary names on Teesside who tried and failed to lift silverware for their hometown team. When Southgate grabbed the Carling Cup at around 4pm on Leap Year Day 2004 he raised more than a trophy. He raised the bar; he raised expectations; he raised hopes of thousands of fans whose supporting lives had been spent living on the memories of what could have been during Jack Charlton’s reign in the ’70’s.

If he continues to learn then maybe, just maybe he will pass on the most valuable of lessons to Middlesbrough Football Club. The lesson on how to win.

Many would say it’s about time.

Yodasmog