Source: Northern_Echo
Coyne backs goal-shy strikers to come good
DANNY COYNE has admitted the club's lack of a cutting edge in front of goal is proving costly in their ambition to finish the season in a play-off place.[LNB] Middlesbrough have scored only once from open play in the last five matches and the club's strikers have registered only once in eight games Chris Killen in the 2-1 win over Barnsley.[LNB] On Saturday they had around half a dozen chances after the break to claim at least a point against play-off rivals Cardiff City, but a combination of good goalkeeping and poor finishing saw them drop to five points off the top seven.[LNB] The keeper insists confidence has never been an issue with the strikers at Gordon Strachan's disposal, but with only 11 games left a lack of goals could see Boro's season end with a whimper.[LNB] Sometimes it just doesn't go in you don't know why and when it does go in it's disallowed,[LNB] said Coyne, in reference to David Wheater's second half header that was disallowed for a Leroy Lita handball.[LNB] It's just one of those things and we have to make sure we put it right and start putting the ball in the net.[LNB] The strikers are confident enough in their own ability they're creating chances and making the keeper make saves.[LNB] It's not like we're missing chances all the time and not making the opposition keeper work I thought the Cardiff keeper was man of the match so we should take the positives from that.[LNB] We just need to turn those chances into goals and we'll be there.[LNB] With time running out, Boro need to put together a string of wins to have any chance of sneaking into the top six.[LNB] Coyne sees the lack of goals as key with the former Tranmere goalkeeper seeing many positives in the way the side are currently playing.[LNB] We've just got pick ourselves up and go on a run again, said the 36-year-old.[LNB] We need to win the majority of our games and with performances like that I don't see why we can't.[LNB] We just need to put the ball in the back of the net because we are keeping everything else tight. It's just losing one scrappy goal every now and then.[LNB] If we stamp that out then we'd be there or thereabouts.[LNB] Confidence is not a problem you can see that in the way we play. Everybody is working hard and working for each other.[LNB] Everyone is together and we should have got something out of the game.[LNB] We have to start putting teams on the back-foot from the start.[LNB]
