Middlesbrough FC

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Riggott offered Boro chance

25 May 2008 - 12:02:18

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Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has pledged to give centre-back Chris Riggott more first-team opportunities next season.

The 27-year-old spent nearly two months out on loan at Stoke City towards the end of the campaign, before returning to impress for Boro against Portsmouth and Manchester City.

Southgate now accepts that Riggott should have been given more of a chance and should have played ahead of Robert Huth and Jonathan Woodgate more often.

He told The Gazette: "I have said to him that I have learnt a lesson. I left him out on reputation and we lost.

"I said that that will not be the case next season. I learned I need to pick the players on form, so it is much more open now.

"That does not mean I guarantee anyone first-team football, but he maybe thought it was an uneven playing field last year and that won't be the case from now on.

"If he says to me 'look, I still feel as if I'm not going to get as much first-team football as I want', then that's his prerogative. But I think he will end up playing football here."