Southgate admits home pressure

Boro boss issues rallying cry after loss to Watford

Last updated: 17th October 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Southgate admits home pressure

Southgate: Disappointed

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Gareth Southgate believes Middlesbrough must improve their home form, while Malky Mackay praised Watford's defence.

Boro slumped to a 1-0 defeat at The Riverside as Tom Cleverley's first-half strike proved enough for the visitors.

Southgate's men squandered a number of good chances in the second period but they have now lost three in a row at home and were booed off at the final whistle.

"There is a pressure in playing at home but we must deal with it," said Southgate.

"How we perform at home between now and the end of the season will determine where we finish.

"Away we are scoring in every game and there is an expectation and confidence in the team we will do well. We start home games like that too but as soon as we go a goal behind that feeling goes and we start to make the wrong decisions all across the pitch.

"We do not help each other and that is what we must change.

"But whether there is pressure from the crowd or not we must deal with it. We have to step up to the mark.

"We know the crowd have expectations. The crowd have come to see us win at home and that is three games on the bounce we have not scored and we've been poor.

"We haven't performed well enough, we haven't done our jobs and right across the pitch we failed to win our individual battles. We have another tough home game on Tuesday and no matter how they feel about playing at home the players must perform."

Mackay reaction

Watford boss Mackay applauded his side for their determined rearguard action as Boro pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages.

"I was delighted with the way we manufactured the goal, but we defended well after that and worked well as a team for the full 95 minutes and that was very pleasing.

"We had a coolness of head about us, we were resilient and we showed courage to get the ball down. We stuck to playing good football when under pressure."