Source: Eurosport
Bates ready for crunch clash
Utility man Matthew Bates admits Middlesbrough's derby game with Newcastle, which is one of the biggest in the club's history, will be the defining moment of the season.[LNB]Bates and his team-mates head for Newcastle on Monday evening for a clash which would give the victors a genuine chance of Barclays Premier League survival, but almost certainly condemn the losers to the Coca-Cola Championship.[LNB]A draw would suit neither side with both currently three points adrift of 17th-placed Hull, who face a must-win showdown with Stoke at the KC Stadium on Saturday, and a point further shy of Sunderland, who could find themselves back in real trouble should they lose at Bolton.[LNB]Bates said: "Newcastle is probably one of the biggest games in the club's history, it's that big. The players know it and the manager knows it, and we will go there to try and get the three points.[LNB]"The loser of the game might possibly go down. I'm not sure if mathematically it will mean that, but it could mean that. At the minute, everything is going against us and it has become difficult. But we have got to keep ourselves going and keep working hard.[LNB]"There are three games to go and we maybe need six or seven points out of them. But it's obtainable and that's what we have got to look at."
