Middlesbrough reserves boss Martin Scott is delighted with the way Matthew Bates handled his comeback this week.

Bates played his first competitive 45 minutes in a Boro shirt for more than eight months and looked impressive on his return during the Reserves defeat to Newcastle at Billingham.

"It was a massive boost for the club to see Matty back," Scott told Boro's website. "He's had a long road back to fitness. He's been fantastic in training in recent weeks and this is a huge step forward for him.

"Hopefully he can build on this and get some more minutes under his belt in the following weeks to come."