Emanuel Pogatetz says Middlesbrough will put all dreams of FA Cup glory to one side as they turn their gaze swiftly back to the Premier League.Gareth Southgate and his players are potentially just two matches away from a Wembley after edging past brave Sheffield United into the quarter-finals in a tense fifth-round replay at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night.
They now face another Championship side, Cardiff, at home in the last eight - knowing that victory on March 9 and a favourable draw could give them a real chance of reaching the final for the first time since 1997.
But within hours of Blades goalkeeper Paddy Kenny's hugely unfortunate own goal, the Teessiders were already focusing on Saturday's league clash with Reading - which could see them take a major stride towards ending any lingering relegation fears for good.
Victory over Steve Coppell's struggling side would see Boro establish a 10-point between themselves and the relegation zone with just 10 games to play, and that will be their only concern this weekend.
Defender Pogatetz said: "It was a big game last night and a bonus for the season. To achieve something in the FA Cup would be a great honour.
"But first of all, we have to concentrate on the league - and the Reading game is a massive game.
"If you look at the table, we really have to make sure that we win it at home - because a couple of really tough games are coming up after the Reading game.
"It is very important that we focus on that game now. The FA Cup has gone, and now everyone has to get their mind right for Reading.
"If we can win the Reading game, it can make the last part of the season a lot easier for us than if we lose, and will ease the pressure."
Victory on Saturday would provide the perfect ending to a busy week for Boro, who put up a fighting display in a 3-2 league defeat at Liverpool last weekend before their FA Cup test.
Maybe then they will be able to reflect upon a night on which they dominated for long periods and showed flashes of their best form, before a huge slice of good fortune came their way.
Kenny had earlier pulled off a series of superb saves to keep the Premier league side at bay - but by the cruellest of ironies, it was he who palmed the ball into his own net with penalties looming after Mido's deflected shot had come back off the woodwork.
Even then, after substitute Tuncay Sanli had passed up a series of opportunites to kill the tie off, Pogatetz had to block a last-gasp Derek Geary shot to spare his side the lottery of a shoot-out.
The 25-year-old Austria international said: "The shot went right into my stomach. FA Cup balls are quite heavy, and it really took all of the air out of me - but I was really happy to take the shot.
"That's what I am there for, and I think the shot I blocked summed up the game.
"The attitude from everybody was really good, and that is why we deserved to win it.
"The goal in the end was lucky, but if you look at the chances that we had before they were a lot easier than the one we scored in the end."
Wednesday night's game also marked the full debut of record signing Afonso Alves, who demonstrated in his 73 minutes on the pitch exactly why Southgate was prepared to invest a reputed £12.7million in his services.
The 27-year-old has spent the time since his arrival from Heerenveen last month working on his fitness - and his contribution last night simply whetted the appetites of his manager, his team-mates and the club's fans.
Pogatetz said: "Afonso is still not at his best, but last night everyone got an impression of what he can do.
"It has made me think about what he is
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