Manchester United’s scare earlier this week showed that Deepdale isn't an easy place to go.
But Boro managed to avoid an FA Cup slip-up at Preston on this day in 2006 thanks to the sharpshooting of goal king Yakubu.
High-flying in the Championship, the Lilywhites welcomed Boro undoubtedly focused on proving their Premier League credentials as they chased promotion to the top flight.
But professional Boro did what they had to do step over the banana skin and book their spot in the last eight, but only Steve McClaren introduced a second striker at the break and took the game to the hosts.
It wasn’t pretty. The manager’s decision to start with five across midfield and Yakubu as the lone striker ensured Boro weren’t going to lose the battle, even if they had to grind out a result.
But as soon as the Yak was joined by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink up top, the Nigerian front-man came to life, hitting two second half goals to fire Boro one step closer to the Millennium Stadium.
It was a case of the Premier League side doing what they had to do. Resilient at the back and clinical up top, the top tier class shone through in the end.
“We didn’t play well but we were hard to beat and we ground out the result,” said McClaren.
“When you’ve got that in your team, you’re in with a chance.
“Under a lot of pressure from Preston, from what little football we played we got two goals - and the result.”
The victory came at a price. Brazilian midfielder Fabio Rochemback hobbled off with an ankle injury and was facing weeks out of action.
McClaren admitted that was a blow with Boro still fighting on three fronts - the league, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup - but he had the squad to deal with it.
“It was always going to be a tough game but we worked hard for the win,” said the boss.
“Credit to Preston. They were on a 25-game unbeaten run - and travelling back from Europe we knew it could be difficult at times.”
What a week. A 3-0 home win over Chelsea, a 2-1 victory at Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup knockout stage and a safe passage in the FA Cup.
Boro’s season was coming to life.
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