‘Middlesbrough will not give up the fight,’ says Agnew

Middlesbrough manager Steve Agnew insists that his team will fight to the last, despite another hammer blow to their Premier League survival hopes.

Second-bottom Boro endured a miserable trip to the South Coast as they were hammered 4-0 at Bournemouth, leaving them nine points from safety with five games of the season to go.

Wednesday’s Tees-Wear derby against Sunderland at the Riverside is next on the menu for Agnew’s troops and he is maintaining an air of optimism ahead of another crucial chapter in Boro’s battle to beat to drop.

“The players have fighting spirit and will continue to fight,” said the Boro manager, who replaced Aitor Karanka last month.

(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

“We’re all very disappointed but we have to dust ourselves down.

“We’ve got a huge challenge ahead but it’s still alive.

“We have Sunderland and we have to go into the game as positive as we can.”

Agnew also made a point of praising the hardy souls that made the gruelling trip from the North East to Dorset to cheer on Boro.

He said: “They’ve had a tough season, the supporters, but they always get behind us.

“We haven’t won [in the Premier League] since December, so it’s been difficult.

“But they continue to support us home and away, and it’s something we’re all proud of.”