Boro eye Samaras swoop

Boro assistant Malcolm Crosby said Samaras was a potential target, admitting: "He's a player we've spoken about. We've shown an interest in him and we'll continue to do that."

However Crosby, speaking after his side's 2-0 Carling Cup third round victory over Northampton at the Riverside Stadium, said Boro would not be rushed into new deals.

Crosby added: "At the minute we are not really close to signing anyone. There are two or three players we are interested in but it's looking like we might run out of time.

"It would be wrong to go out and get someone who is not right for us. If the player's right and we can do something we'll do it, but I don't think we should be chasing people."

Crosby went on to pay tribute to South Korean striker Dong Gook Lee, who finally scored his first goal for the club following Fabio Rochemback's free-kick opener.

"His goal is a long time coming and he deserves it. Hopefully it will give him a big lift. He has been looking very good in training recently," he added.

"Credit to Northampton because they played some good football and created some good openings but I think we started well and got the right result in the end."

Northampton boss Stuart Gray rued his side's lack of luck in front of goal after seeing Ian Henderson and Alex Dyer miss first half chances to grab a shock lead.

Gray said: "It's the story of our season so far and I was disappointed not to go in at half-time 1-0 up because you need something to defend when you come to a place like this."