Southgate wants improvement

Boro boss far from happy

By Graeme Bailey   Last updated: 22nd March 2008

Football FA Cup Middlesbrough Cardiff City Gareth Southgate

Southgate: Concerned by display

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Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate admits his side need to improve on their display against Derby, despite winning.

Boro edged to a 1-0 win over The Rams with Turkish ace Tuncay Sanli grabbing the winner after half-an-hour.

However, Boro could have been looking at dropped points if Rob Earnshaw had not headed wide from point-blank range with just minutes left.

"The points took over again, this was similar to our games against Wigan and Fulham, we were only able to get one goal and then 20 minutes from the end we subconsciously decided we would sit on the edge of our box and defend the lead," Southgate told Sky Sports.

"We have to be better than we were in the second half, we had chances to make it two, didn't take them and we have to see games out better than we did as Derby had a great chance to get an equaliser and we would have been sitting here kicking ourselves.

"Derby kept plugging away and with only one goal in it, we gave them the chance to get back into it but we take the points, the points were crucial - everyone knew that but we have to improve on that."

No fear

Southgate is now looking ahead to Boro's next games with Chelsea and Manchester United, but insists the title-chasing duo hold no fears for his team.

"We have got some difficult games coming so there was a lot of emphasis on us to win today," he said.

"But we have got to games coming up, Chelsea and Manchester United, where we are expected to get nothing and we are quite dangerous when that is the situation but we can regroup and have a real crack at those games."