West Ham teen James Tomkins is in Alan Curbishley's squad for their clash with Middlesbrough.
Already without centre-halves Anton Ferdinand (hamstring) and Danny Gabbidon (groin) and with James Collins (groin) doubtful, Alan Curbishley has called up the England Under-19 defender into his senior squad for the first time.
Basildon-born Tomkins, a product of West Ham's youth academy and rated highly by the Premier League club, could even make his debut at the Riverside if Collins is ruled out but is more likely to be a substitute, with Jonathan Spector coming in to play alongside Matthew Upson.