BORO legend Stuart Boam is hoping to make his trips back to the Riverside more regular after retiring from his job as a newsagent.

The former Boro skipper, now 59, was back on Teesside as the guest of the Middlesbrough Former Players Association chairman Alan Peacock for the West Brom game at the weekend.

And he told fellow fans he enjoys seeing his team in action so much he plans to be back more often.

"The best eight years of my life were at this football club," said the man who played more than 400 games for the club, most as captain.

"I can get to more matches now I'm retired and I'm really looking forward to that.

"I'm one of Boro's biggest supporters, I've been three times this season - I'm playing next week!"

Peacock gave Boam a glowing introduction to supporters in the Middlehaven Suite, saying: "For me, a centre-half has to be big, strong, get to the ball and win it and that's what we did and I think that's what Jack Charlton instilled in you."

But Boam said the players around him helped make him the formidable player he became.

"I'm trying to find someone in here who's old enough to have seen me play!" he joked.

"I've always said every team is formulated by the defensive two players and the goalkeeper. If you get that right, the rest of the team will take care of itself. That's my opinion - if you don't give goals away, you don't lose football matches.

"I was lucky enough to work with fine players, Willie Maddren, my great friend alongside me, and Jim Platt in goal.

"We called Platty 'Dracula' because he didn't come for crosses but if you know he's not coming then you can deal with them, and he was an excellent goalkeeper. I made a very good living out of those two players."

Signed from Mansfield Town in June 1971 for £50,000, Boam was an established first team regular when Jack Charlton joined the club as manager in the summer of 1973.

But as fellow centre-half Charlton had not formally retired as a player and had only just left Leeds United, then a top side, Boam feared for his place in the side.

And those concerns were heightened when Big Jack gave him the distinct impression he was not wanted.

"I remember when Jack first came I thought my days were numbered," said Boam.

"We'd put a bit of form together under Harold Shepherdson in the last few games before he came, so things were starting to flow.

"Jack called a meeting at the Marton Country Club and as we sat there he praised every member of the team and told them how well they could do.

"But when he got to me he said, 'You're crap'. I broke my heart and went home and told my wife I thought it was the end of my career.

"But it was just Jack's management tactics. The next day he made me captain and he never played a game himself."

Boam ended up being a mainstay of the side and captain throughout the Charlton era as Boro stormed back in Division One by a record points margin.

Former Boro stars Frank Spraggon - who played alongside Boam - and Derek McLean and former coach John Coddington were Gordon Jones' guests in the Legends Lounge.

*For more information about the MFPA, visit our FOREVER BORO section.