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MIDDLESBROUGH v FULHAM MATCH FACTS
Boro return to Premiership action against a Fulham side who are yet to win an away match this season.
Boro's season is epitomised by the results of their last two domestic matches, winning 4-1 at home to top six Manchester United, then losing 1-0 at bottom three Everton.
It's almost exactly a year since we last won two Premiership matches on the trot but we have also gone twenty top flight matches since losing consecutively.
Steve McClaren's charges have been inconsistency personified at home. Their six League matches at the Riverside have ended in draw, loss, win, loss, draw, win.
Middlesbrough are defending an unbeaten home Premiership record against the Cottagers. There was a share of the spoils in last season's corresponding fixture, when referee Rob Styles handed Middlesbrough a reprieve by controversially awarding a late penalty.
The official pointed to the spot for keeper Edwin van der Sar's challenge on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, although the incident clearly took place outside the box, and Bolo Zenden fired home from the spot with a minute remaining, to equalise Brian McBride's opener seven minutes earlier.
Fulham make the long trip to Teesside on the back of a hard fought 2-1 triumph over Manchester City. It was the Londoners' third maximum of the season, and shows steady improvement from Chris Coleman's side. But they've not completed back-to-back victories in 12 Premiership outings.
Despite victory last time out, the Thames-side club have still made their worst start to a Premiership campaign, recording a point a game on average thus far.
Fulham last registered a League victory on Teesside on 24 March 1984, when they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the second division, as it was then. The Londoners' last top flight victory here was 56 years ago, when they travelled to Ayresome Park and won 2-1 on 7 September 1949.
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