BACK FROM THE DEAD; The picture BIGGER IT was nervy and scrappy at times against Hull at the Riverside on Saturday but Boro showed the desire and steel to blow the relegation scrap back open again. It's game on once more after players and fans all did their bit. ANTHONY VICKERS reports...: Three reasons why there's hope again...: Now there's a chink of light.

NOT SO fast with that damning obituary. There is a glimmer of hope yet.

A Boro side many believed dead and buried emerged from the twisted wreckage of the car smash at Bolton and gave themselves a sliver of hope in the basement battle.

They showed steel, desire and determination in a tense face-off with vulnerable Hull and went on to grab a Premier League lifeline and strike a crucial psychological blow. The victory over the Tigers was well deserved and very welcome - but it was far from a polished performance.

It was scrappy, frenetic and nervous and, in a jittery spell in the second half, Boro showed the hallmark traits that have been so costly this term.

They started their terrifying slow-motion retreat to their own 18-yard line, invited pressure, struggled to clear routine balls into the box, conceded dead-balls in dangerous areas and twice anxious keeper Brad Jones fumbled crosses to spark furious scrambles and, but for an alert David Wheater stooping to head off the line, it could so easily have unravelled.

But, hey, we won. It was a line-in-the-sand day when workrate and grit carried more weight than silky skills and when the result was far more important than entertaining the neutrals.

And more than that, a host of important milestones were ticked off too. It was the first time this term that Boro had managed more than two goals.

The previous occasion came on the last day of last season as Boro mullered Manchester City 8-1.

The time before was the last day of the previous campaign in a 3-1 win over Fulham. That may give encouragement should we go to West Ham needing to win in this term's finale.

It was also the first time Boro had beaten a team from the bottom half since August and a narrow 2-1 win over Stoke.

Since then Boro have lost to poor Portsmouth, Sunderland and Hull sides away, Bolton at home and have drawn a string of season-shaping six-pointers at home to Pompey, Rovers, the Mackems and Newcastle - and somehow contrived to hand rock-bottom West Brom a damning double.

So to finally beat one of our peers when the chips were down is of huge importance, and not just mathematically. Brittle Boro's most damaging flaw has been mental fragility when faced with teams that set out to scrap and spoil and battle to at least a point by all means necessary.

Taking the plaudits for beating Liverpool is all well and good, but that win traded for one against Blackburn or Sunderland or Portsmouth would be proportionally far more valuable in terms of the table.

Failure to make their chances and possession count against the strugglers has turned Boro's bright early-optimism into a winter of discontent.

So what went right? It is easy to say Hull were woeful, on a poor run or offered little threat - but that was equally true for the visits of Sunderland, Blackburn and Portsmouth, and they were among the most dismal, costly setbacks of the campaign.

Certainly an early goal helped.

It gave Boro a cushion, the initiative and crucially got a potentially ugly crowd on side while heaping pressure on a ailing side with poor morale.

It also helped that Boro were set out to attack. Marlon King and Afonso Alves started up front together for the first time at home while there were attacking players on both flanks and Tuncay was in midfield.

Added to that, the full-backs - Tony McMahon and Andrew Taylor - are probably more instinctively attacking than their rivals in that role.

The King/Alves combination had been used at Manchester City in early February and looked t g H p n t o pum b b i n h t mdh b to have potential but was never given another chance. Against Hull it looked a potent partnership, full of running and neat complementary touches that caused problems for the opposition defence.

It also certainly helped that the players were finally told in no uncertain terms that this was "a must win" match.

Previous basement battles had been played down with the benefits of not losing stressed instead. But this time there was no hiding place. No mental bolt holes. No illusions.

Draws are not enough now. In truth, they haven't been for months and the refusal of the dug-out to point out the stakes has been a costly error.

Finally, a factor that should not be under-estimated, is that the crowd were united, vocal and supportive from the off.

There was some serious faith keeping going on. Constant chanting, a flurry of new songs and some Ayresome old-school vocal interplay between fans in different stands.

Boro's record in games where the crowd turnout is good this season, and it is probably no co-incidence. Booing may be cathartic and satisfying but cheering to the echo gets better results from the players.

In the eight Riverside games this term with gates of over 27,000, Boro have won four (Spurs, Stoke, Liverpool and Hull) drawn three (the derbies plus Arsenal) and lost two (a narrow defeat to Everton and a 5-0 spanking to Chelsea).

How the large crowd would have reacted had Hull scored first we can only speculate.

Next week we have another "must win game" and the team must be made aware of that.

Likewise they must set out with attacking intent. With another tasty ticket offer, there should be a big crowd too.

All the ingredients are in place to keep on keeping the faith.

Come on Boro..

CAPTION(S):

THREE CHEERS: Left, the supporters play their part during the 3-1 win OUR HERO: Left, scorer Tuncay gets a celebratory kiss GET IN: Left, Tuncay notches the opening goal against Hull at the Riverside to revive Boro's hopes of beating the drop. Below, Matthew Bates makes it two and, bottom, Marlon King hits the third