Middlesbrough player Dong Gook Lee is set to start his first game of the season. Middlesbrough take on Northampton Town at the Riverside in the Carling Cup and the player is in line to figure in the starting eleven.
Middlesbrough player Chris Riggott misses out however with the back injury that kept him out of Sunday’s derby with Newcastle. Meanwhile Andrew Davies is fit again but Jonathan Woodgate and Julio Arca are both doubts.
“We’ll have to see who’s fit, I don’t want to make lots of changes but might be forced to make some,” said manager Gareth Southgate. “Dong Gook needs 90 minutes under his belt for his sharpness.”
Woodgate could have been set to miss the game with Newcastle United last weekend. However the defender was contacted by Southgate after the late withdrawals of Riggott and Davies. The twenty-seven-year-old had only just returned to full training following his summer knee operation but there was only ever going to be one answer.
“The gaffer just rang me late and said did I want to play? My obvious answer was, ‘Yes!’ I was never going to turn that chance down. I was born to play football, that's my job,” said the Defender. “I’m a local lad and derby games give the whole occasion a bit of spice so I was chomping at the bit to play. I thought we should have come away with three points. I thought we did enough to win the game, especially in the first half.”
Middlesbrough player Dong Gook Lee is set to start his first game of the season. Middlesbrough take on Northampton Town at the Riverside in the Carling Cup and the player is in line to figure in the starting eleven.