Roberts to fire Boro
FLUTON
NATHAN JONES is disappointed Luton fans who branded him a traitor will not be there to witness the start of his second spell in charge.
Jones left for Stoke after leading the Hatters from League Two to the brink of the second tier. He said: “I had to go through a lot to build what we did. I’m going to have to do it again, so I’d prefer a crowd there. The club’s bigger than fans, bigger than me, bigger than anything.”
JONATHAN Woodgate believes Patrick Roberts can be Middlesbrough’s trump card in their fight against relegation.
The winger, right, tore his hamstring playing against Birmingham on January 21 and has only recently returned to full fitness.
“If we’d had Patrick available, we wouldn’t be in the situation we
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find ourselves in,” said manager Woodgate, whose side are 19th and just two points above third-bottom Charlton. “Patrick’s been dreadfully unlucky with injuries but he’s come back and looks good.”
But Woodgate may not start with Roberts today, wary of pushing him too quickly.
GERHARD STRUBER believes basement side Barnsley can use the three-month break as a springboard to a great escape.
The Tykes are seven points adrift of safety but their Austrian head coach said: “I have a good feeling.We have a good energy and the self-motivation of every player is good.
“The most important thing is every player is healthy and looking forward to playing.”