TEAMtalk's Insider Mark Holmes gives his thoughts on the survival hopes of Stoke and Middlesbrough following Saturday's clash at The Britannia.

Stoke went into the game against Boro knowing three points would seriously boost their chances of a second season in the Premier League, while the Teessiders went into it well aware that anything less than a win would leave them with a mountain to climb.

That pressure meant the game was far from a classic but Tony Pulis' men got the win they needed to climb out of the bottom three, while Boro remain second bottom and now four points from safety.

However, I could not fail to be impressed by the north-east side. Robert Huth, Gary O'Neil and Tuncay in particular were excellent and I actually rate the overall performance as one of the best I've seen at The Brit this season.

They passed it superbly, marshalled Ricardo Fuller extremely well at the back, and controlled the game in midfield for large portions of the 90 minutes. Hand on heart I must admit Stoke were a tad fortunate to pick up maximum points.

Saying that, Thomas Sorensen was only forced into serious action from a couple of long-rangers, and there lies Boro's problem this season. They are solid at the back and their approach play is excellent, but it invariably comes to nothing due to a lack of cutting edge up front.

I cannot speak highly enough of Tuncay, but Marlon King is not up to standard and Afonso Alves is worth a fraction of the reported £12.7million he cost. I don't know who's fault it is for not properly addressing this issue, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for Gareth Southgate.

He's an honest, genuine and likeable manager, which counts for little I know, but he seems so close to having a very good side at the Riverside Stadium and I'd go as far to say as they'd be a top-half side with a decent goalscorer. So I sincerely hope the ever-patient Steve Gibson gives Southgate the chance to lead the side back to the Premier League if they are now relegated as looks likely.

Now onto my beloved Stoke and I'm ever confident we'll achieve my prediction of a 15th or higher finish. We created good chances against Boro without hitting anything like top form, and got a win from a game we may well have lost or drawn earlier in the season.

The Premier League is not about pleasing the purists; it is about winning games to give you another slice of that oh-so-big financial pie. A goal from a throw-in meant there was always likely to be the odd bit of criticism again but, as Tony Pulis said himself, every win is beautiful to us Stokies.

I certainly celebrated Saturday's in style, and why not. We now have 32 points and I'm pretty confident that two more wins, or 38 points, will be enough to keep us up.

The remaining fixtures are against West Brom (A), Newcastle (H), Blackburn (H), Fulham (A), West Ham (H), Hull (A), Wigan (H) and Arsenal (A), and I just cannot see how we could fail to get six points from that.

The squad is stronger than it has been all season, confidence in the camp is sky high, and the manager's tactics, line-ups and substitutions get better by the game.

His lack of experience in the Premier League undoubtedly told at times earlier this season and he had to learn quickly. But he has certainly done that and it showed with his two substitutions against Boro, both of which were timed to perfection.

Phil Brown and Tony Mowbray appear to have been found out over the last few months but Pulis has grown into his role and deserves all the credit should he keep Stoke up.

His January acquisitions were of top quality, the football has improved as a result, and the team now looks every inch a Premier League one. Sorensen, Abdoulaye Faye, Matthew Etherington and James Beattie are all proven top-flight players, while the likes of Andy Wilkinson, Ryan Shawcross and Glenn Whelan have made the step up in class and look nicely at home.

There are still a few areas of the side that Pulis will need to strengthen should we stay up, but he has the backing of his chairman Peter Coates and I firmly believe Stoke are well and truly in the 'golden era' we were promised.

The critics are getting quieter and the supporters are getting even louder - and the mighty, mighty Potters are here to stay whether you like it or not.