Mild eccentrics they may be compared to the Crazy Gang of old, but Wimbledon were back ruffling Premiership feathers last night to barge Terry Venables' renaissance on Teesside slightly off course.

A desperate draw, with both teams stuttering on a shambolic pitch, earned Terry Burton's resilient side a deserved second chance to vie for a fifth-round trip to Wycombe.

The south London club may be hopelessly adrift of the First Division play-off places, probably suffering from a post-relegation hangover, but they have won 10 times on their travels this season.

Paul Ince, with the England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson watching from the stands, thrashed a 25-yard shot just wide after only 18 seconds before Hamilton Ricard headed wastefully over from pointblank range seven minutes later.

But Boro were soon floundering on the sandpit of a pitch. Wimbledon promptly came out of their shell, with Christian Karembeu blocking Par Karlsson's volley on the line and Patrick Agyemang, who can run 100 metres quicker than it took the Tannoy announcer to pronounce his name, air-kicked in front of goal.

Boro's frustrations were further grated when a low shot by Peter Hawkins squirmed beneath Mark Schwarzer's outstretched body but a flick of his shirt was enough to deflect the ball for a corner.

The uneven surface hardly suited the refined touch of Alen Boksic but sporadic glimpses of the Croatian's class at least brightened the proceedings. He had already struck the side-netting before, with seven minutes of a scrappy first half to play, he curled a delightful free-kick towards the top corner only for Kelvin Davis to dive and tip the shot wide.

The flurry of excitement at least whet the appetite for the second half and the 31-year-old striker was quickly back into his stride, teasing Hawkins and Gareth Ainsworth on the left before crossing for Ricard. The Colombian sank to his knees after seeing Davis tip his thumping header to safety.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Fleming (Whelan 77), Festa, Ehiogu, O'Neill, Cooper, Karembeu, Ince, Okon, Ricard (Campbell 64), Boksic. Subs Not Used: Crossley, Mustoe, Gordon. Booked: Ricard.

WIMBLEDON: Davis, Cunningham, Kimble, Williams, Hawkins, Ainsworth, Francis, Andersen, Karlsson, Agyemang (Gayle 77), Euell. Subs Not Used: Roberts, Holloway, Feuer, Gray. Booked: Hawkins.

Referee: M Dean (The Wirral).