Southgate targets away-day success

31 March 2009 11:00
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate believes his side need to pick up some points on the road if they are to secure Premier League survival.The Teessiders head for Bolton on Saturday and still have a potentially pivotal derby trip to Newcastle to come among the final eight fixtures of an intensely difficult campaign.Boro have won only one of their last 18 league games anywhere - a 2-0 victory over title-chasing Liverpool on February 28 - and last collected all three points on their travels at Aston Villa on November 9.However, Southgate is confident that, if his players can reproduce the type of performance they put in at Villa Park, or in the win at Wigan which preceded it and the draw at Everton which followed it, they can still rescue themselves.He said: "We have got away fixtures in particular that we need to go and pick up points in."The fact that we have been to Villa and won, been to Wigan and won, got a draw at Everton - they are games you look back on and we have shown we are capable of getting points on our travels."But Bolton and Newcastle, they are games in particular in which the turn-around in points if either side wins is huge, so for us, they are very, very important."Boro will run out at Bolton four points adrift of safety in 19th place, and then welcome Hull and Fulham to the Riverside Stadium in games which will have a major say in their destiny.They then face Arsenal away and Manchester United at home before making the short trip to St James' Park on May 9.[LNB]

Source: Eurosport