Middlesbrough FC

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• Manager:Tony Mowbray

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Schwarzer break stuns Boro

29 Nov 2007 - 13:29:35

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Middlesbrough have been rocked by the news that goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer faces six weeks on the sidelines with a broken thumb.

The struggling Teessiders have already seen striker Mido ruled out for the foreseeable future with a long-running groin injury.

But Australia international keeper Schwarzer now faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines after a freak accident at the club's Rockliffe Park training ground on Wednesday.

Under-fire manager Gareth Southgate now looks set to hand Ross Turnbull just his third Premier League start at Reading on Saturday.

The 22-year-old keeper's last league appearance came in May 2006.

Turnbull spent a month on loan at Championship side Cardiff City earlier this season where he made eight first-team appearances.

He was recalled to the Riverside Stadium when Schwarzer's understudy Brad Jones suffered a thigh injury in a reserve game and was ruled out for two months.

Manager Gareth Southgate must decide between 17-year-old youth team goalkeepers Jason Steele and Matthew Atkinson for a place on the bench for he weekend trip to Reading.

Meanwhile, Julio Arca and Robert Huth both continued their comebacks from long-term injuries with a run-out for the club's reserves on Wednesday.

Argentinian defender Arca could even make a surprise appearance against Reading should Southgate decide to fast-track him back into the first-team picture.