Woodgate: No let-up...
JONATHAN WOODGATE is still feeling the heat despite his Middlesbrough team jumping out of the bottom three with a first win in 13.
The Boro boss got the better of old Leeds teammate Lee Bowyer’s Latics who were plunged into the drop zone themselves.
But Woodgate is not prepared to relax now after the relief of Paddy Mcnair’s early winner.
He said: “The pressure is still on me – the pressure is on Lee.
“We’re still in a dog fight, it’s a long way to go, we can’t get too excited and we won’t be getting complacent.
“But I’m really pleased. We were exceptional at times.
“I hope Lee has enough to keep Charlton up. Lee has hardly any money to spend. If he was backed a bit more he would do a lot better.
“You need to cut him a bit of slack. If he had more good players he would do very well.”
Neither Woodgate nor Bowyer were famous for being particularly pretty as players – and neither were their sides in an old-fashioned scrap of a six-pointer. The visitors won this after Charlton froze in the first half.
Hayden Coulson could not convert early on from Mcnair’s cross but it was the latter who took advantage of sloppy home defending on 17 minutes.
Rudy Gestede laid the ball into the path of Mcnair who slotted home low to break the deadlock.
Charlton were well off the pace in the first half and booed by fans during the second half – but were much better in the second.
Macauley Bonne impressed after coming on as half-time sub but could not convert a Lyle Taylor cross while Darren Pratley also lost his footing at the crucial moment. Middlesbrough though looked poor at times with their finishing particularly bad, Coulson miscuing one shot while Lewis Wing was denied by Dillon Phillips.
Luckless Taylor had two penalty shouts waved away while Bonne headed Deji Oshilaja’s cross over in the dying seconds.
Bowyer blasted his players at half-time for their first-half display.
He said: “You can’t give teams 1-0 leads. We’re not good enough for that.
“We have to learn from it. It was schoolboy, basic, so poor.
“Players were nervous and scared in the first half. I need people who are men and want to fight. I still believe we can do it. Everyone thought we had to win, nothing changes.”