WE CAN STILL BEAT DROP
BORO MIDFIELDER BELIEVES WIN OVER SUNDERLAND HAS GIVEN THEM SURVIVAL CHANCE
Adam Forshaw believes Middlesbrough’s derby win overSunderlandmeansthey still have a “fighting chance” of avoiding relegation.
The Boro midfielder helped Steve Agnew’s side to their first victory since December when they beat the Black Cats on Wednesday, edging to a single-goal success.
The victory leaves the Teessiders six points from safety with four games to go.
They still face an uphill fight to beat the drop, especially as they play Champions League-chasing Manchester City at home on Sunday.
But boss Agnew reckons a win there could see Middlesbrough survive, and Forshaw is equally as positive after saying the squad showed some togetherness at long last.
Forshaw said: “We owed something to the fans, and everyone involved. Our performance away at Bournemouth (lost 4-0) wasn’t acceptable by any means.
“I think we’ve shown a bit of fight and determination, and I suppose that’s the least we could do.
“We have to show a togetherness.
“We’ve still got a fighting chance, and we’ve just got to keep going.
“Sometimes maybe confidence levels are low when you’re up against it, and it can be hard to really express yourself, but the minimum is that you work hard and put a shift in for the team.
“We’ve given ourselves a chance, and that’s all we could do. Hopefully, we can push on now and get something against Manchester City.
“We’ve got a bit of momentum now. It’s obviously been tough at times. It’s massive for your confidence and belief to win again.
“We haven’t done it enough this year. You could see the smiles back on people’s faces after the game, and hopefully that leads to a bit more confidence and belief.”
Fellow midfielder Adam Clayton believes the victory over Sunderland can give the players a huge confidence boost ahead of a tough run of fixtures.
“A win gives you that motivation and belief again,” said Clayton, whose lofted pass put Marten de Roon through for the only goal of the game on Wednesday night.
“Everyone perks up, it’s a different feeling in the dressing room now.
“We take that into some tough games – we’ve done it before against these kinds of sides and we can do it again.”