RIGGOTT RECALLED FROM LOAN DEAL

Riggott - returns to Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott has been recalled from his loan spell at Stoke as the Teessiders battle for their Premier League future.

The 27-year-old has played nine games in the Championship club's promotion charge but with Robert Huth still struggling with a foot injury and Jonathan Woodgate having left for Tottenham, manager Gareth Southgate has turned to his former team-mate once again.

Riggott trained with his Boro team-mates again on Friday morning and will go straight into the squad for Saturday's potentially decisive clash with FA Cup finalists Portsmouth at the Riverside Stadium.

Southgate's side are currently four points clear of 18th-placed Birmingham with Pompey and Manchester City to play at home.

Former England Under-21 international Riggott, who played a key role in the club's march to the 2006 UEFA Cup final, has found himself surplus to requirements this season since David Wheater's emergence.