GARETH SOUTHGATE was delighted to repay a small part of the debt he believes we owe Teesside's real heroes by guiding Boro to Saturday's morale-boosting victory over Portsmouth.

The Boro boss was inspired by meeting troops who recently returned home from war-torn Afghanistan when they visited the Riverside as the club's guests for the game.

A total of 120 soldiers from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards and the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) were given a warm reception from both sets of fans before Saturday's 2-0 win over Portsmouth.

The guards' brass band, wearing their traditional bearskins headgear, entertained supporters inside and outside the stadium before kick-off, playing a selection of tunes, including a James Bond theme medley.

Both sets of soldiers, who returned home in April after a six-month tour in Afghanistan's troubled Helmand province, posed for photographs with Southgate before parading around the pitch.

The manager mentioned the soldiers' visit - part of the club's Community Pride Day - during his pre-match team-talk.

"I wasn't sure whether it had an effect on the players but I know it did on me," he said.

"When I looked at the ages of those guys it really hit home, how young they are and the responsibility they have.

"We talk about heroes too readily in our country but those guys are the only heroes.

"Yet the biggest thing most of them said to me was, 'Get a result for us today'.

"Hopefully we repaid a little bit to them for what they've done for us, because they're an inspiration."

*A group of Boro fans are taking a parachute jump to raise funds for the Help For Heroes appeal, raising funds for the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre for injured servicemen, and for Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters Association's minibus fund. Click here for more details.