Saints recover after Cup shock

Glenn Hoddle was counting his blessings as Southampton recovered from their shock FA Cup defeat against Tranmere to grab three points at the Riverside.

A strike by Mark Draper after half-time secured the win, but Boro were unlucky as skipper Paul Ince put on a battling display which recalled his best performances for England. Paul Ince is being diplomatic over the end of his international career, but when did the former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder ever care less than passionately about his football?

He is quite correct in declaring there are more pressing matters - like helping Terry Venables and Bryan Robson prevent Middlesbrough allowing their 1-0 home defeat by Southampton to start a relegation slide.

But if Sven Goran Eriksson had braved the Riverside chill he would have witnessed the kind of battling performance from Ince that, even at 33 and 56 caps down the line, suggested Boro's skipper still has something to offer his country.

'Paul Ince is playing as well as I've seen him play,' said Venables. 'I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been included in the squad. He's been excellent.'

Ince was excellent once again, hurling himself into the thick of everything - this time without reward, as impressive midfielder Mark Draper's first goal for Southampton four minutes into the second half put Boro's Premiership future back on the line.

Ince admitted: 'The lack of ball-winners in the England squad is a big surprise.

'It's a young-looking midfield, and you always need somebody to win possession and break up the opposition attacks. We're probably not part of the coach's plans now.