later and Pompey went on their best run of the season with O'Neil scoring in successive home games. For the home game with Everton in January 2006 O'Neil captained Pompey for the first time but disappointingly for him this was also the game where he was moved back to the right to allow new signings Pedro Mendes and Sean Davis to form a partnership in the middle. Pompey lost the game 1–0 and went on a run of form that left them near certainties for relegation in mid-March but O'Neil's performance in a crucial 1–1 draw against Bolton Wanderers saw him keep his place in the starting XI. Two weeks after this draw, Pedro Mendes' last minute winner against Manchester City sparked a comeback. Pompey gained 14 points out of the next seven games and secured survival at Wigan Athletic's JJB Stadium on 29 April with a 2–1 victory. O'Neil was a regular at the right of midfield for Portsmouth in the 2006–07 and despite only contributing one goal Portsmouth finished 9th, their best in the Premier League at that time. Middlesbrough O'Neil signed for Middlesbrough on 31 August 2007 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £5 million. O'Neil, whilst not scoring for Middlesbrough during his first season, was considered a success. His lively displays down the right-hand side of midfield, and occasionally in the centre, have earned him plaudits from the Boro fans and manager, Gareth Southgate. "I think he's done a fantastic job on the right hand side this year, I think there's more to come from him". In all he made 26 appearances in the league, and three in the FA Cup during the club's run to the quarter-final. Reports surfacing in May 2008 suggested that O'Neil might look to move on from Middlesbrough after he and his family had failed to settle on Teesside. O'Neil scored his first Middlesbrough goal in the 2008–09 season on 29 October in Middlesbrough's 2–0 win over Manchester City. O'Neil started the 2009–10 season as Southgate's first choice central midfielder, with Julio Arca being dropped to the bench for the first matches of the season. It was soon revealed that O'Neil would require a hernia operation, yet he spoke out and said he would, "Delay the operation so as to ease Boro's midfield crisis." The first game after his operation, on 12 September, led to his