MIDDLESBROUGH 2 DERBY COUNTY 0
POST MATCH REACTION
ComeOnBoro.com, 21 Oct 2009
Here is a transcript of Gareth Southgate's post-match comments after the 2-0 victory against Derby County on Tuesday night. At that point, there was no news about his pending sacking.
He said: "There would obviously been more speculation and we would have been probably four or five places lower, which would have made life very difficult, I am sure, for all of us.
"I have had lots of games like that since I have been manager here where you wonder about the consequences of defeat, but we were very positive in the way we approached everything.
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"We thought about how we could win the game. We didn't really consider the possibility of defeat, but you know all the while a fourth home defeat on the bounce would have been very difficult for people to accept.
"None of us wanted to go through that and we didn't want to put our supporters through that more than anything.
"We want them to see us winning at home and as the season goes on, we have got to make sure we do it regularly if we want to go up."
Derby manager Nigel Clough could find little comfort in the performance: "We conceded a soft penalty having had two turned down on Saturday which we thought were probably more of a shout than that one given tonight.
"The first goal was going to be very important, primarily for us having not got a win away from home this season and Middlesbrough on the back of three defeats.
