Middlesbrough pulling together to escape relegation

13 April 2009 19:36
Boro were being written off in many quarters following a woeful run of form before Gareth Southgate's team revived their hopes of avoiding a drop into the Championship with a 3-1 win against Hull last weekend. According to defender-turned-midfielder Bates, who scored the second goal in the defeat of Hull, Boro are now ready to confound their detractors and escape the clutches of relegation. "A lot of people outside the club had written us off but the feeling among the lads was we have got nothing to lose," said Bates, whose side host Fulham on Saturday. "There was no fear among us and we played good football. We are in a much better situation now than we were, but there is still a long way to go. "We've given ourselves a lifeline. I still don't think for one minute that we will go down. There are a lot of teams still in there who can be relegated. "People have written us off, but the players are desperate to stick together and fight our way through it. "It was a massive three points because it has dragged a few teams nearer to where we are. We're in a much better situation now than we were, but there is still a long way to go." Bates knows that Boro must also overcome Fulham to bolster their hopes of averting relegation with matches looming at Arsenal and then Manchester United at the Riverside. "As players, you do look at the fixture list," said Bates. "After Fulham at home, we have Arsenal and Man United. You have to be realistic. We have to get three points this weekend and then go from there. "Two wins would make a massive difference, and we have to build on this result and performance next week. "The Fulham match is another huge game, but we can go into it on the back of that performance. "In the position we are in, we still have absolutely nothing to lose. We will work on things in midweek and nail down the organisational side, but if we get another three points, things will really be looking up." Bates is not expecting to score again this weekend. "I last scored in the FA Youth Cup in 2005 so we might have a bit of a long wait for the next one," Bates added. "Aggers (Steve Agnew) shouted for me to go up for the corner, so I did as I was told. "It was a great ball from Tony, and I thought Jeremie (Aliadiere) would get a flick but he didn't. I just stuck my left foot out and it went in. To be honest, I didn't really know what to do after that."

Source: Telegraph