Middlesbrough FC

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• Manager:Tony Mowbray

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Southgate content with draw

15 Feb 2009 - 10:22:19

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Gareth Southgate admitted his Middlesbrough side did not deserve to win Saturday's 1-1 FA Cup fifth round stalemate with West Ham United at Upton Park.

The Premier League strugglers had taken the lead through Stewart Downing only to be denied a morale-boosting victory and passage into the last eight by a last minute equaliser from the home side.

But despite the late blow, Southgate felt his side did not deserve to progress to the quarter-finals on the level of their performance.

"It was probably a fair result. I was pleased with how we played, the quality was good and I was pleased how we opened them up," he said.

"We will take more from it than the result itself. We got ourselves in enough good situations but that has been the story of the season for us.

"We are at our best when we pass and play football and that's what we were doing today and the players will take great confidence from that."

Meanwhile, Southgate believes the impending return of several senior players from injury will help improve results during the final third of the season.

He added: "A lot of our senior players are coming back, you need them to get results in our league and in this competition.

"It was the best game through this period and the players have the belief that they can turn it around.

"We know what needs to be done and we believe we can do it."