Stewart Downing not giving up hope of Middlesbrough survival
Sunday 9 April 2017 11:28, UK
Middlesbrough midfielder Stewart Downing is clinging to the hope his home-town club can drag themselves out of the relegation battle and secure another season in the Premier League.
Saturday's 0-0 draw with Burnley left six points from safety with seven games remaining and the club know they have to grasp a Premier League lifeline if they are to avoid the drop, despite a difficult run of games ahead.
Boro face Arsenal in their next league clash with fixtures against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool awaiting as the season draws to a close.
But 32-year-old Downing believes his team have the ability to produce some surprise results to escape slipping back to the Championship after just one season away.
He told BBC Tees the players are not backing down in their quest for survival, saying: "I know we're a point closer and we could have done with three, but there's a long way to go yet, a lot of twists and turns.
"We have got big teams to come here, but do they fancy coming here? Well, we'll soon find out.
"We generally play well against the top teams, so I'm looking forward to it."
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