Middlesbrough FC

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Loss leaves Southgate glum

09 Mar 2009 - 07:56:03

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Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate bemoaned his side's failure to hold on to a lead after Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup sixth round defeat at Everton.

David Wheater had given Boro the half-time advantage but David Moyes' side hit back to win and seal a semi-final clash with Manchester United.

A distraught Southgate said after the defeat: "In the first half we were spot on and defended really well as a team. We worked Everton and took the goal really well.

"We knew we'd have a bombardment and we feel we've got the players to deal with it. But for a six-minute spell we didn't deal with it and that's ended our cup run.

"That sums up the season so far. We've got to learn how to see matches through when we're a goal ahead.

"It's not the time to single people out, we lost because we didn't do our jobs as a team. We missed a couple of challenges in the build-up to both goals and we got done by two balls into our box we didn't deal with.

"We'd dealt with it really well all game up to that point and we did again afterwards. But you know Everton get their goals from set-pieces and that's what we'd worked on all week.

"Then we've got to chase the game and were a bit stretched. We've got a quarter of the season to go and we've got to show the resilience we did in the first half and see it through.

"We've seen why we are where we are, because we can't see matches through when we're ahead. We had a great chance to get through but we haven't taken it and we have to get on with it."