As he continues to try and impress Alan Pardew in this, his third month on loan, he was given the green light by Boro to play at Wigan - but if that means they are definitely going to let him go soon remains to be seen.
"You tell me; I am not sure," he says.
"It comes from the club; I got told I could play in the cup on the Wednesday before but I have not really gone into the whys and the wherefores about it.
"I was pleased to play because, coming off the back of a good result against Nottingham Forest, I wanted to carry on."
With Christian Dailly well again, but Tomas Repka now suspended for two games, he will be hoping to get his third start in a row against Preston at the weekend - and make it three victories on the trot.
"It was definitely a deserved win against Wigan," he says, "and it is not an easy place to come to.
"I am not sure of the exact figures but I am sure they have not been beaten here many times this year, and you can see why.
"It was a big stadium but not many of their fans come; the pitch is obviously used for other things as well so that doesn't make playing great football that easy, but we showed great character and deserve to have got into the fourth round.
"It didn't really feel as if we were under a great deal of pressure; obviously there were spells in the game where, as the home team, they would put pressure on us but at the same time we hit the bar in the first half, did a few other things, and always looked dangerous when we attacked, so it was good to get the win."
Robbie was delighted that David Connolly got back on the scoresheet having returned to a traditional forward's role in the absence of Jermain Defoe, and he says:
"He took the goal very well and you see him do it in training all the time, cutting inside onto his stronger foot.
"With the strikers we have got at this club we have got people who can win us games.
"Against Nottingham Forest we were searching for that second goal just to give you that cushion going into the last 10 minutes and luckily it came at Wigan because we conceded right at the end."
Robbie was also pleased for Hayden Mullins scoring at the right end and adds:
"It was a good move with a third man runner and he took it really well, showing the keeper one way and tucking it in the other corner - an excellent finish."