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Never before has the Riverside Stadium rocked like this and, having successfully overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg, there is a real belief Boro are heading to Eindhoven in May to challenge for the UEFA Cup.

Steaua Bucharest may lie in wait, but after the way in which Boro unbelievably bounced back from going a goal down last night, meaning they needed to score four, suggests there is a desire and determination to do just that.

An exit at the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Cup would have meant the importance of the FA Cup replay with Charlton next Wednesday had grown to an even greater height. Instead it's game on, on all fronts.

After memorable and glorified successes over two of the most highly regarded European teams in the competition in previous rounds in the form of Roma and Stuttgart, the lesser known Swiss club Basle proved a much harder hurdle to overcome.

Now, having managed to go at least two steps further than last season, when Boro were knocked out in the last 16 stage, it begs the question: How far has the club come in the past 12 months?

The attendance at the Riverside last night would suggest very little.

Such a momentous occasion, the biggest in Boro's history some have claimed, demanded a sell-out. Instead, the performance highlighted huge strides have been made.

More fans actually turned up at Goodison Park to witness Boro's marginal win over Everton in the third round of the Carling Cup this season.

Considerably more turned up to witness the 2-0 victory over Lazio in this competition at the group stage last season.

Nevertheless the stock of McClaren has risen to new heights in recent months.

This morning it has reached a new high and it is little wonder he is one of the three main candidates to take over England.

At the Riverside, despite being the only manager in Boro's history to have won a major trophy, there are still plenty of supporters who have not warmed to him. They will be thinking again this morning.

A lack of passion has been one accusation hurled his way. From the very first minute to the very last he cut a frustrated figure in the dug-out last night - particularly after referee Yuri Baskakov failed to award an early penalty when Aiyegbeni Yakubu was hauled down.

Strides have been taken under McClaren's guidance but he has been one of the first to concede that additions of a different variety to what he has been making need to be made if those steps are to become more consistent.

Players in the mid-20 age range are those he intends to target and, providing they are to the sort of standard that betters those already in the squad, progress will be made. Going all the way in the UEFA Cup will be an achievement difficult to surpass.

Only Yakubu, a �7.5m buy from Portsmouth, and Brazilian midfielder Fabio Rochemback were not at the club when Boro were humbled by Sporting last March.

Massive changes were never needed and they won't be required now.

The direction the club is heading in is not under question. Nineteen products of the club's academy have gained England caps at various levels and that acts as a clear indicator that progress should be maintained for years to come.

Only three of those - Stewart Downing, Stuart Parnaby and James Morrison - started last night's second leg and Lee Cattermole would have been another had he not suffered a negative reaction to ankle ligament damage in training on Wednesday.

In January McClaren referred to the current campaign as a season of transition but, having failed to add fresh faces and dispose of old ones during that last transfer window, the likelihood is that there will be greater work done on moving bodies on and drafting players in.

Despite scoring crucial goals since the turn of the year Jimmy- Floyd Hasselbaink remains the most likely to depart. A free agent when his contract expires suggests he will exploit that, even more so after his omission from the starting line-up last night.

Hasselbaink, though, will not be the only one. Ray Parlour, Ugo Ehiogu and Doriva are three whose futures are likely to be away from the Riverside.

There is also a doubt surrounding the future of Mark Viduka. Last night he turned in the sort of display that persuaded McClaren to pay �4.5m for him.

Two goals in the quarter-finals, now McClaren will be demanding two goals against Steaua in the semi-finals.

Then who knows, Eindhoven perhaps?

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