Two goals from Stefan Bailey were enough to give Ebbsfleet the win against Boro tonight. Graham Westley's side took the lead thanks to Yemi Odubade's 21st minute strike and went into the break 1-0 up and looking on course to go top of the Conference table with Oxford losing at Crawley. However, former QPR midfielder Bailey popped up twice within 6 second half minutes to condemn Boro to their first defeat since August.

After the disappointment of losing against Ebbsfleet United on Tuesday night, Boro are back in action this weekend when Kidderminster Harriers are the visitors to Broadhall Way. Stevenage will be looking to bounce back with a win after a woeful second half performance at Stonebridge Road saw Graham Westley's side lose their first league game since August.

Boro's game against Barrow tomorrow afternoon has been called off. Stevenage has seen some heavy snow fall in the last 24 hours and the pitch is deemed unplayable. According to the official website, there are 6 inches of snow covering the pitch and surrounding terraces. Also the paths/cyclepaths outside the ground are also quite dangerous at the moment.

The weather might well stop this as a contest before it's even begun, but given the start the teams have made to the season, allied with Gordon Strachan's unenviable record at St James' Park and our recent record at home against the Smogs, few would bet on a Boro win in Sunday's Tyne-Tees derby. And [.

Jermaine Beckford has been linked with Middlesbrough in the last 24 hours fuelling speculation that League 1's sharpest shooter will be Strachan's first permanent signing next month.

This would be great news for us if we were to grab the free-scoring forward but it looks unlikely with the 26-year-old's love affair with the Elland Road faithful.

When Steve Morison left Broadhall Way in the summer for Millwall and League 1, many believed Stevenage would struggle to deal with the loss of their prolific striker. Some would argue that Boro still haven't really replaced him, but the table suggests that Boro are doing just fine without him.

Gordon Strachan has been quizzed recently as we approach the January transfer window. Talking to the GL, Strachan is keen to strengthen his team as we head into the second-half of the season. The Boro boss is not giving any names away though at this point but has revealed he will be making best use of the transfer window.

I think all Middlesbrough fans would love to see the Boxing Day blues banished for at least one year and for us to see a goal scored from a player in a red shirt.

Our previous results on December 26th have been nothing short of disastrous for the last six years. Take a look at our recent Boxing Day records:

2008 lost 1-0 to Evrton at home
2007 lost 3-0 to Birmingham City away
2006 drew 0-0 with Everton
2005 lost 2-0 to Blackburn at home
2004 lost 2-0 to Birmingham City
2003 drew 2-2 with Blackburn away

The last time we won on Boxing Day was back in 2002 when we defeated the mighty Manchester United by 3 goals to one.

Well, we certainly banished those Boxing Day blues against Scunthorpe but unfortunately amongst all the post match excitement we must have had a few too many turkey sandwiches because the players once again let themselves down against Barnsley. So much for turning a corner and accelerating on the open road.

For the third successive year, I figured I'd do a midseason comparison to previous league campaigns. This ought to temper the good feelings after yesterday's match. I'm running late; the totals don't include yesterday's win at Villa, just the first 19 games. Which, as you may remember, haven't been that stellar.