THE Club can confirm that Middlesbrough have recalled Jonathan Grounds from his loan spell at Norwich City.

Grounds, 20, was signed on a three-month loan deal and has appeared in City's last five matches, and has been called back to the Riverside Stadium due to Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate's current player shortage.

After confirmation that Dejan Stefanovic will serve a two-match ban for his red card during Tuesday's match against Southampton, City boss Glenn Roeder has to forge another central defensive pairing for this weekend's game against Derby County at Carrow Road. He said: "We have been hit hard with a double whammy with Dejan out for two games and now Jonathan Grounds being called back to Middlesbrough.

"I only found out at nine o'clock yesterday morning about Jonathan. He would have been playing here on Saturday. If I was Gareth I would do the same. I had a good chat with Gareth, he was happy to leave Jonathan here, his intentions were to leave him here. He had seen he'd been playing and Middlesbrough's scouts had been reporting back to Gareth that he'd been doing well, which he had.

The City boss continued: "But unfortunately he's got an injury to the left-back who's going to be out for a few weeks, and Pogatetz, the centre-half is out for three games for a sending-off and he's been left short himself for defensive cover, so he must protect his corner, like I must protect my corner."

"But with Stefanovic out for two games and John Kennedy out for a few more weeks - we hope he will be fit for the game at Bristol City - and Doc probably another three weeks or so, we've suddenly been left very, very short. To think at one stage we were double-handed, and now the cupboard's been left bare. But that's life. It gives someone else an opportunity to play who hasn't been playing and I am sure that person will come in and play well and grab that opportunity."