By MattoftheSpurs
April 26 2007

Tottenham travel to Teeside after gaining a point through a last gasp Jemaine Jenas equaliser in the North London Derby at White Hart Lane. The Riverside Stadium (and Ayresome Park before it) have never been happy hunting grounds for the Lilywhites. Middlesbrough

Versus

Tottenham Hotspur

The Riverside Stadium

Premier League

Kick Off: 3.00 pm.


Tottenham travel to Teeside after gaining a point through a last gasp Jemaine Jenas equaliser in the North London Derby at White Hart Lane. The Riverside Stadium (and Ayresome Park before it) have never been happy hunting grounds for the Lilywhites.

Spurs have played a total of 37 league matches against Middlesbrough in their entire history. Of those 37 Spurs have won 5, drawn 10, and lost 22. Spurs have scored 36 goals and conceded 72 in those matches. Not a favourite away ground then.

The last ten matches (which incorporates our entire league history at The Riverside) reads thusly;

17/12/05 Middlesbrough 3 v 3 Tottenham Hotspur (Keane, Jenas, Mido)
07/05/05 Middlesbrough 1 v 0 Tottenham Hotspur
09/03/04 Middlesbrough 1 v 0 Tottenham Hotspur
03/05/03 Middlesbrough 5 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Redknapp)
30/03/02 Middlesbrough 1 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Iversen)
22/08/00 Middlesbrough 1 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Leonhardsen)
18/12/99 Middlesbrough 2 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Vega)
20/02/99 Middlesbrough 0 v 0 Tottenham Hotspur
19/10/96 Middlesbrough 0 v 3 Tottenham Hotspur (Sheringham 2, Fox)
21/11/95 Middlesbrough 0 v 1 Tottenham Hotspur (Armstrong)

Tottenham’s record at The Riverside reads; won 2, drawn 4, lost 4. Goals for 11, against 14.

Trying to fathom out which Middlesbrough side will turn up on the day is almost as difficult as trying to work out which Spurs side will turn up. A good example of this would be the back to back home matches played against Watford and Aston Villa. Middlesbrough destroyed Watford 4-1 on the 7th of April only to play Aston Villa at home a week later and be beaten 1-3. Middlesbrough do not lose too many at the Riverside. In the league only 5 teams have won at The Riverside (compared to 4 at White Hart Lane) those being Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Aston Villa. They have also lost to Notts County at home in the Carling Cup.

The majority of Middlesbrough’s goals come from Yakubu (16), and Mark Viduka (15). The next highest scorer is Arca on 3 goals.

For Tottenham the hunt for the points that will see them resume their place in next season’s UEFA Cup continues. With only four games left and Spurs sitting in 9th place (albeit with a game in hand) Spurs need a draw at the very least from this match to avoid the dreaded Inter Toto cup or worse miss out completely. Following this match Spurs travel to Charlton Athletic on the 7th of May. That match is swiftly followed by a home encounter with Blackburn Rovers on Thursday the 10th of May before Tottenham conclude their fixtures by entertaining Stuart Pierce’s Manchester City at White Hart Lane on the 13th of May.

As the season draws ever nearer to it’s conclusion the fine line between success and failure gets ever thinner. Martin Jol needs to rally his troops in one final push between now and the end of the season. It has been very much a ‘nearly’ season for Spurs this year, coming close in the Carling Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA cup only to fall to quality opposition. Tottenham cannot allow themselves to fall at these last hurdles in the league. With the excellent support that Spurs enjoy at home and away from the Lane I am sure Spurs will be wearing all white again next season for another European adventure.

Enjoy the match.

Audere Est Facere.